


Ricotta Cheesecake

by ashensprites



Series: IZONE Through The Seasons [1]
Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: F/F, IZONE Through The Seasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-06-24 00:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 35,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19712416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashensprites/pseuds/ashensprites
Summary: In which Kwon Eunbi convinces a random stranger to befriend her younger sister, Nako.(find the author on twitter @ashensprites)





	1. One.

There are three things that Kwon Eunbi would never do in her life:

  1. Skip work unnecessarily,
  2. Stand outside a shop suspiciously, and
  3. Hire a random stranger to talk to her younger sister, Nako.



And yet here she was, doing those exact three things. On any other day, Eunbi would have laughed at herself, finding her act quite ridiculous. She was a successful businesswoman, for goodness’ sake, with too many things on her plate and not enough time to complete them. So why was she awkwardly hovering outside a bakery a good distance away from her office?

The answer to her question was standing at the bakery register, arranging breads and cakes in carry bags while conversing with said random stranger that Eunbi had paid on a whim. In her defense, though, it wasn’t as if she could just waltz into the bakery at this time of day. Nako would throw a fit if she knew Eunbi went out of her way just to observe her on Nako’s first day of work.

Which was exactly why Eunbi was hiding outside the bakery in her business suit, peering in through the display window. It was amazing how cute Nako looked in her simple uniform - a grey button-up shirt and a straw-coloured apron with the bakery name monogrammed on it - and with her light brown hair tied up in a neat ponytail. But then again, it was impossible for Nako to not look cute. She was just born that way, born to be the most adorably precious human ever.

Her gaze drifted to the female customer talking to Nako. Just minutes ago Eunbi had spotted her staring at the cakes on display from outside the bakery and recklessly attempted to persuade her to “make friends with the petite girl standing there, you see, over there at the cash register”.

Of course, the woman instantly it turned down, convinced that Eunbi was some kind of weirdo. “Who even are you?” the woman asked.

“I’m Eunbi.” She grinned at the woman in an attempt to be friendly. “And you are…?”

“Suspicious of you, lady.” The stranger stared at her with dark, soul-searching eyes. “How do I know you’re not some criminal or creepy stalker trying to get me to also creepily stalk someone?”

“Because…” Eunbi fished around in her wallet and came up with a couple of ten-dollar bills. “I’ll pay for whatever cakes or breads you want?”

The stranger’s eyes widened at the offer. “I’ll take it,” she immediately said, grabbing the cash and rushing into the store. “Be right back.”

As she waited for the stranger to exit the shop, Eunbi quickly checked her phone for any new messages. There were twenty new texts, but they were all from her personal assistant who, if she was being honest, had a tendency to panic when Eunbi wasn’t around during her specified hours. She supposed she should give her PA a call, since by the looks of it, the stranger wasn’t coming out of the bakery any time soon.

“Hey, Sian, what’s up?”

“Kwon Eunbi!” her assistant screeched from the other end of the line. “Where are you? Did you forget you were supposed to have a meeting with one of your distributors ten minutes ago?”

“Ten? No way, it can’t be…” Eunbi glanced at her wristwatch. “Ah. Shit. Alright, I’ll be there soon. In the meantime, distract them.”

“Distract them? And how am I supposed to-” 

Eunbi quickly ended the call, not wanting to face the wrath of her PA. She straightened up when the stranger bounced out of the bakery, a bag chock-full of bread swinging from her hand. “Well? How is she?” Eunbi demanded.

“Chill, she’s doing fine,” the stranger said, chomping down on a melon bun. “It’s her first day at work, and she’s liking it so far. She’s really cute, we’re already friends. Maybe I should drop by more often.”

“She’s so cute, isn’t she?” Eunbi gushed. “My wholesome baby sister, the love of my life.”

“She’s your sister?” The stranger laughed through a bite of bread. “I would never have guessed. You two have totally different auras.”

Eunbi pulled a face at the stranger. “Anyway, I need to go. My assistant needs me. Thanks for making friends with my sister, I guess, um…” She trailed off, prompting the stranger for her name.

“Hyewon,” the stranger answered. “Kang Hyewon.”

“Right. Well, bye… Hyewon.” Eunbi awkwardly nodded at her before dashing off to her office.

So Eunbi was thirty minutes late to her meeting. It wasn’t too big of a deal, she knew, especially since her brand was the sole reason this particular distributor was even surviving in the ever-changing fashion market. Plus, she really enjoyed seeing her PA’s flustered expression when they wrapped up their meeting ten minutes in.

“Was I too good at my job?” Eunbi teased her assistant, Sian, after the distributor was escorted out of their meeting room. “Too efficient?”

“Yes!” Sian blustered as she retrieved all the papers she had painstakingly printed out for the meeting only to see them not being looked at even once.

“Oh, come on, Sian, you know they need us more than we need them.” Eunbi reached up and twirled Sian’s long mocha-coloured hair around her finger. The blush that spread across Sian’s face never failed to amuse Eunbi. Gently patting Sian’s reddening face, Eunbi stood up and brushed imaginary dust off her suit pants. “Any other meetings today?”

“No, but you have to attend a fashion show tonight,” Sian stated, pulling up Eunbi’s schedule on her tablet. She chuckled when Eunbi rolled her eyes. “You RSVP’d two weeks ago, remember?”

“Dammit all. I wanted to go home and accompany Nako tonight,” Eunbi whined, slumping over Sian, her face buried in Sian’s neck.

Sian tensed under Eunbi’s body as she tried her best not to freak out. Eunbi was a difficult boss to work with, not in the sense that she was a bad boss, but because Sian had a crush on Eunbi and couldn’t do anything about it. As far as she knew, Eunbi only had eyes for one person in her life: her younger sister, Nako.

So as Sian tried not to gay panic, she mumbled, “Well, you could always attend the first ten minutes, and then mysteriously vanish after going to the bathroom.”

“No, I’ve used that excuse one too many times,” Eunbi said, sighing. Disappointed, she sent a quick text to Nako.

_Eunbi:_ Nako, I’ve got something on tonight, and I don’t know what time I’ll be back. Will you be okay by yourself?

_Nako:_ Yep! I’ll get one of my friends to hang out with me instead.

_Eunbi:_ Alright. I promise I’ll be back by eleven, okay?

_Nako:_ ^-^ Gotta get back to work, bye!

If Sian could wipe the crestfallen look off Eunbi’s face, she would. She settled for patting Eunbi’s arm encouragingly. “Nako’s grown up now, she’ll be fine. How about we get some dinner delivered to your place for her tonight?”

Eunbi nodded. “That’s a great idea, Sian. Guess this is why I love you so much.”

Those words had never been more heartbreaking. Sian forced herself to muster a smile before looking away. “Yeah. Love you too.”


	2. Two.

It was way past midnight when Eunbi finally returned home, exhaustion exuding from every inch of her skin. All she wanted was to see Nako before crawling into bed and sleep for at least the next five hours. Throwing her bag to one side, she dragged herself to the living room, where she immediately realised that the adjoining kitchen had its light still turned on. There couldn’t be an intruder in their house, could there?

She inched along the wall, fists at the ready. Peering around the corner, she first met large but tired dark eyes framed by pretty, striking features. “Hyewon? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, hey, you’re back.” Hyewon placed the dish she was wiping onto the drying rack next to her before washing her hands. “Sorry for the intrusion, Nako invited me here.”

“But-” Eunbi stared at her, puzzled. “You just met today.”

“Mm, yeah, well,” Hyewon shrugged. “We’re friends, we even exchanged numbers in the bakery.”

Pressing her lips together, Eunbi made a mental note to remind Nako to not freely give out her contact details to any random person. “Where is Nako, anyway? Is she sleeping?”

“Of course she is, it’s almost one in the morning. She’s over there.” Hyewon pointed to a small bundle huddled in a blanket and lying on the living room sofa. Walking over, Eunbi carefully peeled the blanket away to reveal a sleeping Nako, her hair messily thrown over her face as she rolled over in her sleep. When Eunbi reached out to tuck Nako’s hair behind her ear, the young girl sleepily grabbed Eunbi’s fingers, holding them tightly. 

If she could, Eunbi would have melted right then and there.

“Why isn’t she sleeping in her room?” Eunbi whispered to Hyewon.

“She insisted on staying up and waiting for you, but ended up crashing around eleven. I didn’t want to move her, so I went through your apartment and found a blanket in one of your rooms to keep her warm.” Hyewon glanced at Eunbi. “Hope that’s okay.”

“Let’s be honest.” Eunbi nodded at Hyewon’s slim arms. “You just didn’t have the strength to carry her, did you?”

“And you’re acting like you do?” Hyewon stuck her tongue out at Eunbi.

“Watch and learn, fool.” Eunbi gently eased her fingers out of Nako’s grip. She tucked one arm around Nako’s shoulders, the other under Nako’s knees, and without even a grunt easily lifted the small girl up from the sofa. Impressed, Hyewon gaped at her superhuman strength, staring with wide eyes as Eunbi carried Nako to her bedroom.

Once Eunbi tucked Nako into bed, she came back out into the living room where Hyewon was waiting. “Well, um.” Eunbi stuck her hands into her pockets awkwardly. She supposed she should invite Hyewon to stay the night; after all, the streets weren’t safe at this time, and Eunbi didn’t want her to run into any trouble. Plus, if Nako trusted Hyewon enough to invite her over after a few hours of knowing her, it wouldn’t be that bad if Hyewon stayed over, right?

Besides, if Hyewon did turn out to be problematic in any way, Eunbi could always put up one hell of a fight.

As if sensing Eunbi’s internal battle, Hyewon stood up and bowed. “Guess I should be going home now.”

“W-wait!” Eunbi instinctively grabbed Hyewon’s arm, stopping her from leaving. Hyewon stared at where Eunbi was gripping her arm, surprised. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? It’s kind of late, and… Yeah.”

“I’m good, I’ll just call a cab back or something.” Hyewon patted Eunbi’s hand. “You look tired, you should get some sleep.”

“Ah. Alright then.” Eunbi nodded, too tired to argue back, and released her hold on Hyewon. Escorting her to the door, Eunbi raised her hand to wave awkwardly. “Goodnight, I guess.”

Hyewon grinned at her as the door closed. “Goodnight, Eunbi.”

#

Eunbi had never seen Nako more excited in her life than this morning - well, aside from the one day when they had managed to secure a cardboard standee of Nako’s longtime idol. As Eunbi busied herself around the kitchen, preparing some fried rice for breakfast, she listened attentively to Nako gush over Hyewon.

It turned out that not only did Hyewon come over and accompany Nako through the night, but had also brought two pints of ice-cream, lots of street snacks including Nako’s all-time favourite deep fried cheese hot dogs, and her Netflix password. They binge-watched a whole season of One Piece over dinner and promptly followed that up by crying over Kimi No Na Wa while eating ice-cream.

“And look!” Nako took out her phone to show Eunbi a video of Hyewon determinedly punching their floor, fixing the camera with a steely eye before she falls over, cackling with laughter. 

Although bewildered, Eunbi cannot help but laugh along. “What’s she doing?”

“It’s Gear Second, it’s a One Piece thing,” Nako said by way of explanation. “Oh, Eunbi, Hyewon’s so great. She’s so funny and so pretty and she loves to hug people.”

“I’m surprised you invited her over, considering how you just met her for the first time yesterday,” Eunbi casually mentioned, preparing to remind her younger sister about the dangers of giving strangers her phone number.

“Well, it’s not like it’s exactly the first time I met her, since she knows Hi-” Nako froze mid-sentence and slapped a hand over her mouth. Eunbi’s maternal radar pinged; Nako was keeping something from her.

“She knows what, Nako?” Eunbi asked, trying to keep her tone light.

“No, nothing,” Nako sang just a tad too loudly, averting her eyes when she felt Eunbi’s stare drilling through her. “Oh, wow, look at the time, I really should get to the bakery.”

“Nako, you haven’t had breakfast yet,” Eunbi reminded her, calmly scooping rice into two bowls. When she turned around to offer Nako one of the bowls, the younger girl was already by their apartment door, pulling her shoes on. Never had Eunbi seen Nako move so fast, and her actions just made her all the more suspicious.

“Sorry, Eunbi, I’ll eat it tonight. Thanks, I love you!” Nako blew a kiss to Eunbi before dashing out the door.

What in the world was that? Stuck with two heaping bowls of fried rice and a secretive sister, Eunbi slammed them down on the table, frustrated. Yanking her phone out, she called her PA, tapping her foot incessantly. 

“Good morning, Eunbi,” Sian cheerfully greeted her.

“Sian, do I have anything on this morning?” Eunbi asked, getting straight to the point.

She must have sounded quite rude, as Sian loudly huffed in disapproval. The audio on Sian’s end of the line faded in and out. Eunbi could hear her nails tapping on her phone screen. “Your first schedule starts in two hours,” Sian replied after a while, clearly perturbed. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Hanging up, Eunbi headed to her closet, changing into a plain black t-shirt and jeans. Picking up a black cap, a pair of sunglasses, and a mask, she fixed them on her face, making sure she was completely unrecognisable.

Perfect. 

Time to learn what Nako’s been hiding from her.


	3. Three.

Eunbi’s first plan of attack was to hide around the corner of the block, a few doors down from the bakery. Enthusiastically getting into her role as a spy, she snuck from door to door, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious; and more importantly, anyone who could potentially recognise her. After all, she was still a businesswoman and professional fashion designer, and God help her if anyone saw her in this kind of getup.

Oh, and there was the possibility of her looking like a stalker.

She immediately recognised the woman standing outside the bakery, her long black hair swept to one side in the breeze. Clad in a simple white tee and jeans, Hyewon appeared to be very engrossed in the baked goods on display, occasionally frowning, pointing, and even tracing the outlines of different breads. Eunbi quietly wondered whether Hyewon actually had a job, for how could she always have so much time to spend hanging around a bakery?

Eunbi’s eyes widened when Nako bounced out with the widest grin on her face before hugging Hyewon. She could feel jealousy bubbling within her as Hyewon hugged Nako back, rubbing their cheeks together as Hyewon pulled the small girl closer. How dare Hyewon hold her younger sister like that? It wasn’t as if they were dating or anything.

They weren’t dating, right?

No way. Hyewon wasn’t Nako’s type. 

Did Nako have a type?

Oh, Lord above, was Nako dating Hyewon without Eunbi knowing?

Come to think of it, Eunbi had never actually talked to Nako about crushes or romance before. In fact, Eunbi hadn’t had a proper chat with Nako in quite a long time, especially after her fashion business took off over the past year. The thought of a complete stranger (to Eunbi, at least) being a more familiar, comfortable presence than she was to Nako was… quite alarming, to say the least.

Once both girls entered the bakery, Eunbi hurriedly crept along the shops to crouch under the large window. Poking her head out like a meerkat, she surveyed the area, looking for Nako. She found her picking out desserts for Hyewon, explaining each part of the assortment in the display stand. Deep in thought, Hyewon considered her food options, eventually pointing out a couple of cake types. She leaned down to mutter something into Nako’s ear, making the younger girl squeal and laugh. Eunbi’s nostrils flared when Hyewon sent Nako a flirty wink - or what Eunbi interpreted as a flirty wink - and she felt her hands ball up into fists.

It took Eunbi a great amount of willpower not to just storm in and interrogate Hyewon in front of everyone in the bakery. Just as she was planning the destruction of the black-haired woman inside, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out to answer the incoming call, nearly crushing it in her hand at the same time. “What?” she snapped.

“Are you coming in any time soon?” Sian asked, her tone brusque. Clearly she did not take kindly to be snapped at by her boss-slash-friend. “It’s nearly nine.”

“Already?” Eunbi removed her phone from her ear and stared at its bright screen. In a large font - the biggest font the phone could possibly display, what with her aging eyesight - the numbers blinked out 8:50. Since when did time pass by so quickly? 

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way." Rearranging her effects on her face, she glanced back at the bakery one last time… and froze when Hyewon met her eyes through the display window. Hyewon held Eunbi’s gaze for a few stuttering heartbeats, not betraying a single expression on her face. 

Hyewon's unblinking stare was unnerving, and yet Eunbi could not break away for it. She stood there outside the bakery, spellbound. Eunbi faintly wondered somewhere in the back of her mind whether Hyewon had recognised her in her disguise, whether Hyewon would tell Nako if she did. A smirk slowly stretched itself across Hyewon’s face. She raised her hand and waved in greeting at Eunbi before turning back to chat with Nako.

Absolutely bemused, Eunbi staggered off, her mind whirling.

#

Hyewon watched her leave from inside the shop, amused. She had noticed someone hovering outside since she and Nako had entered the bakery, and it didn’t take her long to realise that the person was very obviously Eunbi. It was very tempting to tease her, which was exactly what Hyewon did, casually flirting with Nako.

Nako, of course, thought nothing of it, but from the corner of her eye Hyewon spied Eunbi fuming outside. When Nako turned around, Hyewon decided to stare at Eunbi until the woman outside noticed her. Hyewon so desperately wanted to laugh, but forced herself to keep a poker face; Eunbi looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Thinking of Eunbi’s expression then made Hyewon chuckle. Nako glanced up from her cake arrangement. “Is there something funny?”

Hyewon shook her head, biting a grin back. “Nah, just thinking about something. I’m surprised you asked me to hang out with you last night though, considering how we just became friends yesterday.”

“Well, yes, but you’re not a complete stranger, are you?” Nako smiled at her. “Since you’re friends with Hii-chan and all.”

“Yeah, see, I thought you’d ask Hitomi over instead of me. That would make more sense.”

“She was busy with cheerleading practice since their competition’s only a week away,” Nako explained. “And she said you’ll be good company.”

Hyewon bit her lip nervously. “Was I?”

Nako wrapped her in a hug. “One hundred percent, yes.”

Touched, Hyewon patted Nako’s head; she would have to thank Hitomi later for the kind words too. And if it meant she could meet the funny, beautiful Eunbi again, she’d gladly hang out with Nako any time, anywhere.

#

Meanwhile, Eunbi was greeted by a raised brow from her PA when she stumbled into her office, hand clutching at her sunglasses. “Is there a reason you decided to wear this today?” Sian asked, warily eyeing Eunbi’s lack of dress sense.

Eunbi glanced down at her outfit and groaned. She had totally forgotten to change before coming in, and mentally berated herself for not dropping by home beforehand. Throwing herself onto her office chair, she spun around and sighed. “Sian, do you think Nako’s hiding something from me?”

“Why, like Nako would ever do something to warrant that?”

“I don’t know.” Eunbi propped her chin on the back of her hands, deep in thought. “Last night, when we had that fashion event to attend, she invited someone home.”

“Ooh, like a romantic ‘someone’?” Sian wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“I don’t know,” Eunbi repeated. “I mean, I sort of know who the person was, but I wasn’t aware that Nako was… comfortable enough with asking a complete stranger to chill with her at night.”

“A stranger?” Sian glanced up from the sheaf of papers in her hand. “Doesn’t seem like something Nako would do. Maybe she knows whoever this person was beforehand, before you met them.”

“She’s never told me about them, though,” Eunbi complained. “And they seemed really close this morning. Oh God, Sian, what if Nako’s dating her?”

Sian rolled her eyes. “Okay,  _ helicopter mom _ , you need to chill. You can’t always know everything single thing that goes on in Nako’s life.”

Eunbi frowned at Sian. “Feels like I should, though.”

“No, you probably shouldn’t,” Sian insisted, lightly smacking Eunbi upside her head with the papers in her hand. “Now, if you remember from a month ago, we agreed to hire new models for our next fashion collaboration. Here’s the applications. Read through them and pick a few.” She dropped her papers on Eunbi’s desk and patted her shoulder encouragingly.

“Sian, no, don’t go,” Eunbi whined at Sian’s retreating back and flopped onto her desk when Sian ignored her. “Dammit.”

Resigned to her fate, Eunbi leafed through the applications. How were there so many tall, slim ladies in Seoul alone? So many of the applications were from teenagers, some even younger than Nako - which was a given, considering how early kids started to join these industries. As much as she wanted to give all of them an opportunity, she knew it just wasn’t possible to hire a couple hundred people just for a show. With a heavy heart, she started to pile paper upon paper in her new rejection pile.

A familiar face caught her eye as she was browsing through portfolios. Eunbi picked the photo out from where it was half-hidden between two sheets of paper, her eyes slowly widening as she realised who it was. Long hair the colour of dark ink, calm eyes, an expressionless face.

Eunbi’s eyes twinkled with evil glee. “Kang Hyewon,” she muttered to herself, “you are so going to regret flirting with Nako.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow i actually don't have any assignments or tests due this week? i can actually... write? not reports?? but fun things????


	4. Four.

Hyewon nervously drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair as she waited in the meeting room of the extravagant office. She was confused as to why she w as the only one called in; from past experiences, she was often one of many girls gathered in a small room, where whoever was in charge that day would make them try different poses, or catwalk, or worse, hold a spontaneous interview. But today… Today felt different since she rolled out of bed at seven-thirty.

For starts, she didn't have breakfast, which was the most ridiculous thing to ever happen to her. Kang Hyewon was never not hungry. Then, checking her inbox, she noticed two new emails - one was from her online friend in Japan, and the other was from her modelling agency. To her surprise, her Japanese friend, a fellow Fortnite player, was planning to move to Korea to "expand her horizons". Of course, this was very good news to Hyewon, but it was also very unexpected, especially since her friend had never mentioned relocating. 

The other email was to confirm that she, Hyewon, would be attending an interview today at nine a.m. sharp. She had immediately freaked out after reading the name and address of the brand; it was a very famous fashion brand that had risen to fame in the last year. Although she knew this interview offer was a good thing, she couldn’t help but be nervous. Hyewon hadn’t attended a meeting with a highly reputable brand in a while, as most of her income had come from her modelling for small online brands.

Hyewon had rushed to change and prep for the interview, applying makeup properly for the first time in days. Her pre-interview anxiety drained her of any hunger for the next few hours, and although she was tempted to drop by the bakery that Nako worked at just to ease her nerves, the headquarters of the fashion brand was too far away for her to hang out with Nako, even for a brief moment.

So here she was now, an awkward twenty-one year old Kang Hyewon sitting in the empty meeting room of Woolimz.

She perked up when the door creaked open, and scrambling to her feet, she immediately bowed to the person entering the room. She kept her eyes on the floor as she stood, waiting for the person to speak.

“Wow, Kang Hyewon, this is the first time I’ve seen you wear something that’s not a T-shirt and jeans,” a familiar voice quipped.

Hyewon’s eyes widened at the sound of the amused voice, and she slowly dragged her gaze up from the floor. In front of her stood Eunbi in a sharp suit with a slim black tie. The tailored suit hugged and accentuated her curves - curves that Hyewon could not keep her eyes off. Eunbi waited a few beats before clearing her throat, smirking when Hyewon’s gaze flicked up to meet her eyes.

“Uh, hi,” Hyewon managed to eke out.  _ Wow, Hyewon, very smooth, much confidence, _ she internally berated herself. “You’re- I didn’t- you- design-”

Eunbi’s grin grew wider and wider as Hyewon stumbled over her words. She decided to help the clearly flustered woman out. “Relax, Hyewon. Sit down,” she said before sitting down in the large chair at the head of the table.

“I-” Taking a seat, Hyewon fumbled around with her words. “I didn’t know you were a fashion designer.”

“And I didn’t realise you were a model, especially since all I’ve ever seen you do is stare at food, buy food, and eat food,” Eunbi replied teasingly.

She watched as Hyewon fidgeted in her seat, picking at her nails and glancing anywhere but up at her. Eunbi wasn’t used to this Hyewon; what happened to the relaxed woman, the one with all the confidence in the world around Nako, the Hyewon with the flirty smile? Her shit-eating grin dimmed as Hyewon’s hand flitted up to clutch at her collar, her chest rapidly heaving. All thoughts of interrogating Hyewon about Nako immediately flew out of Eunbi’s head.

Getting up from her seat, Eunbi approached Hyewon and knelt before her. Hyewon didn’t notice Eunbi’s movement, and jolted a bit when Eunbi placed a hand on her knee. “Hey, you alright?” Eunbi asked, concerned.

Hyewon didn’t respond, couldn’t respond. Her mind went blank, her vision blurring as she started to hyperventilate. 

“Listen to my voice, Hyewon, just focus on me.” Eunbi instinctively took Hyewon’s trembling hands in her own as she called for Sian to bring in a cup of water. “Breathe in and out, slowly, you can do it.” As she attempted to calm Hyewon, Sian snuck into the room with a cup of water. She noticed Eunbi holding Hyewon’s hands with the latter hyperventilating, and placing the cup on the table, left without a word.

After a while, Hyewon’s breathing started to slow as she allowed her mind to focus on Eunbi’s soothing voice. Sensing that the worst of it was over, Eunbi picked the cup up and placed it in Hyewon’s hand. “Drink,” she ordered, guiding the cup to Hyewon’s lips.

Closing her eyes, Hyewon took sips of water, willing the trembling to pass.  _ God, how embarrassing _ , she thought. She never did well in interviews, no thanks to her anxiety that always kicked in, which was the exact reason why she tended to avoid applying for the big brands that frequently held them. It had been a long while since she last had to deal with an attack, which was of course a good thing, but now she just had one right in front of a pretty lady who actually knew her name. How was she supposed to look at Eunbi in the eye now?

“You okay?” Eunbi asked.

Hyewon nodded mutely. Taking a deep breath, she stood up with her head bowed. “Sorry about that. I should go.” Before Eunbi could stop her, Hyewon was already scooting out the door without a goodbye, still holding the cup. 

That was definitely not how Eunbi expected it to go at all.

#

When Eunbi arrived at the bakery to accompany Nako home that evening, she noticed that Hyewon wasn’t around. To be fair, it wasn’t as if she expected the woman to be at the bakery at all times. Rather, Hyewon’s presence was something she had gotten used to seeing whenever she snuck out to check on Nako at the bakery. So seeing a bakery empty out without Hyewon was… weird, to say the least.

It seemed that Nako felt the same way. As she helped out with cleaning up the trays of bread in the bakery, she kept looking around at the door as if in search of someone. Popping out of the bakery after her work was done, her hair in a ponytail, Nako took Eunbi’s hand and swung it lightly. “You’re walking back with me today,” she remarked with a smile on her face. “Must be a light day at work, huh?”

“Yeah, well.” Truth be told, Eunbi had anticipated spending a good few hours of her morning teasing Hyewon, and had shifted her schedule up by a few hours after the woman had absconded from the meeting. “This is the first time I’m done this early since you started working, isn’t it?”

Nako nodded happily. “I like it like this. It’s like back when you’d pick me up from high school.”

Eunbi grinned, recalling the good old days when Nako, no smaller than she was now, would bounce into Eunbi’s arms at the school gate. Then, when Nako started university and Eunbi interned with fashion magazines, the frequency of their walks together decreased gradually, until both of them eventually got used to making their way home separately.

Trying to be the engaged older sister she used to be, Eunbi turned to Nako as they waited at a light. “Do you and your friends usually walk back together after uni classes?”

“Yep! Except, now they’re either on holiday somewhere, or doing other activities… like cheerleading,” Nako mumbled. Then she brightened up. “But Hyewon walks me home now!”

“But not today,” Eunbi noted.

“Not today,” Nako agreed, pouting. “I mean, she visits the bakery every day, but she didn’t come today.”

Eunbi hesitated, wondering whether she should ask Nako about Hyewon’s anxiety attack from earlier in the day. At the same time, she could be potentially be letting out a secret that Hyewon wasn’t comfortable with, and so decided against it. Maybe she could tackle it from a different angle.

“Hyewon seems pretty comfortable around you. Is she always like that?”

Nako considered it for a moment. “She’s always comfortable in the bakery, not just around me. The only time I saw her being obviously uncomfortable was when we were walking home and a random guy tried to hit on us. Well, I say us, but mostly her.”

Eunbi’s eyes narrowed - how dare a stranger dare to hit on two women minding their own business? “What happened?”

Nako puffed out her chest with pride. “Hyewon started panicking, so I punched him in the gut.”

Eunbi barked out a laugh and ruffled Nako’s hair. “That’s my baby!” She internally questioned whether Hyewon’s response to their meeting today was on the same level of discomfort as having a creep hit on her. Needless to say, that thought did not settle well in her stomach.

After dinner, Eunbi conducted a bit of research into designs in the current market. Chancing upon a small indie brand that she thought had potential, she was delightfully surprised when Hyewon’s photo appeared on her phone. Eunbi noted Hyewon’s posture, the way she carried herself, the way she subtly showed off the clothes she wore or the bags draped over her shoulders and arms.

This was the Hyewon she was used to, not the shaking mess this morning.

This was the Hyewon that Eunbi wanted to hire, with her photogenic beauty and flair for innocent and cheeky charm.

Eunbi immediately sent a text to Hyewon, having saved her contact information from the application. 

_ Eunbi: _ Hi, Hyewon, hope you’re feeling better tonight. I’d like to talk to you again regarding modelling for my brand. Is there a place where you are comfortable with talking?

_ Hyewon: _ I’m so sorry about this morning. I don’t know why you’d still want to hire me after that, but I don’t mind meeting at Nako’s bakery tomorrow morning.

_ Eunbi:  _ Alright, see you there. 

_ Hyewon: _ …

Eunbi stared at the dots appearing on screen as Hyewon typed. The longer she took, the more Eunbi wondered whether Hyewon had just fallen asleep halfway through typing. Then a message came in.

_ Hyewon: _ See you tomorrow. Goodnight, Eunbi.

A smile broke across Eunbi’s face at the message, and she quickly texted back.

_ Eunbi: _ Goodnight, Hyewon.


	5. Five.

Hyewon was already regretting their agreement to meet in the morning. She paced in front of the bakery, biting her nails, only pausing to check the time on her phone before starting up again. Running her fingers through her hair, she stared at her reflection in the display window of the bakery, and wondered whether it was too late to hop into an oven and vanish from the world. She’d do anything to avoid seeing Eunbi again after breaking down in front of her.

Thinking about that meeting only made Hyewon more nervous. Maybe she could move cities - no, fake her death, get a new ID, move countries, cut off all links to the Internet. But that meant no gaming, and she was going to miss talking to her gamer friend.

“You think too loudly,” a cute voice remarked. Hyewon turned around to grimace at her friend, a slightly shorter Japanese girl with long blond hair, squishy cheeks, and makeup done to perfection.

“Hitomi, I’m actually dying.”

“God, you’re so dramatic,” Hitomi rolled her eyes and shoved a cheese bun in Hyewon’s face. “Eat this and calm down, will you? You’re not the only one dying here.”

Hyewon pouted before munching into the warm bun Hitomi brandished. She didn’t question Hitomi’s methods of acquiring freshly baked goods despite the bakery not being open just yet. The girl had been blessed by the bread gods, and Hyewon was one of the lucky few to be associated with her. “Wait, are you dying too?”

“Hyewon, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve actually been so busy with cheerleading practice I haven’t seen Nako since finals ended. Do you know how difficult it is to survive without seeing your girl-” Hitomi suddenly stopped, breaking into a wide grin. Hyewon knew that smile, and thus also understood the implications that came with it.

“Nako!” Hitomi jumped up and down in excitement.

“H-Hitomi!” Nako blinked in surprise, waving at her. “And Hyewon! You’re really early today.” She took a quick glance at Eunbi who had suddenly volunteered to walk her to work this morning.

Eunbi raised her eyebrows at Nako. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Of course.” Nako grabbed Hitomi’s arm to keep her in place. “This is Hitomi, my… friend. Hitomi, this is Eunbi, my older sister.”

Eunbi smiled at Hitomi in greeting, although her mind was too focused on the woman beside her to notice the pause in Nako’s introduction. “Nice to meet you, Hitomi. Good morning, Hyewon.”

“Good morning, Eunbi.” Hyewon kept her eyes on the ground as she chewed her way through her bun. 

After a few awkward beats, Eunbi cleared her throat. “Well, don’t let us stop you, Nako. Go ahead.”

“Um, okay, bye?” Nako glanced between Eunbi and Hyewon suspiciously before dragging Hitomi into the bakery with her, leaving the two older women outside.

Hitomi waited until they were out of sight before pulling Nako into a soft kiss. When they broke apart, Nako embraced Hitomi, breathing in her scent. “I missed you, Hii-chan.”

Hitomi hummed in agreement, peppering the top of Nako’s head with kisses. “I missed you too, babe. I wish cheerleading practice didn’t take up so much time, but you know semi-finals are approaching.”

Leaning on the locker door behind her, Nako poked Hitomi’s soft cheeks with a finger. “Why are you here so early in the morning, anyway?”

“I heard that you’re working here, so I thought maybe I could come and surprise you before work.” Nako raised her eyebrows at her girlfriend; Hitomi rolled her eyes in response. “Fine, Hyewon also asked me to come today for moral support, but I don’t really know what for.”

Nako thought of the two women standing outside the bakery. “Maybe it has something to do with Eunbi.”

“Ah, speaking of,” Hitomi said, sulking, “you still haven’t told your sister about us? It’s been months, Nako-chan.”

Nako pouted and buried her head in Hitomi’s chest, apologetic. “I know, but she’s been so busy and I just couldn’t find a good time, so…”

Hitomi sighed. “Fine, fine. You’re lucky I’m patient.”

“You’re definitely not patient, Hii-chan,” Nako said, chuckling, “but I am lucky you’re whipped for me.”

Hitomi narrowed her eyes at Nako. “I take it back. I’m going to tell your sister that we’re dating, right now.” She turned to the door, acting to head out and talk to Eunbi.

Laughing loudly now, Nako just grabbed Hitomi’s hand and spun her around. Nako pressed the taller girl against the locker door with a cheeky grin. “Only if you can escape from me,” Nako teased before leaning in to kiss Hitomi again.

#

Outside the bakery, Hyewon fidgeted uncomfortably under Eunbi’s steady gaze. While it was a relief that they weren’t in a stuffy meeting room, standing in front of a woman who had seen you in a very embarrassing state was not the best way to start your day. Not in Hyewon’s private opinion, at least. She glanced up at Eunbi, glanced down again, then bit into her half-eaten bun.

“So, about yesterday.” Eunbi broke the silence.

“Yes, about yesterday.” Hyewon’s shoulders slumped at the memory. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Eunbi shook her head. Slowly approaching Hyewon like how one might approach a terrified, cornered animal, Eunbi placed a comforting hand on Hyewon’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, sometimes things just… happen. No need to apologise.”

“Really?” Hyewon lifted her gaze to meet Eunbi’s eyes. The older woman had an encouraging smile on her face as she nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were going to make fun of me or something.”

“What?” Eunbi frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“Because everyone else does,” Hyewon replied, shrugging nonchalantly. 

“That’s just mean,” Eunbi grumbled. “And it would be quite ridiculous for me to do so, especially since I’m here to offer you the job.”

“Wait, what?” Hyewon nearly shouted in surprise.

“Wait, what?” A voice did shout from behind them. Nako rushed out of the bakery, running headfirst into Eunbi, Hitomi just a few steps behind her. “Where did this come from?”

Eunbi leaned down to whisper an explanation into Nako’s ear. The petite girl gaped in delighted shock, her gaze flitting between Eunbi and Hyewon excitedly. “You’re a model?” Nako pointed a finger at Hyewon.

“Of course Hyewon’s a model, can’t you tell?” Hitomi said, laughing at Nako’s expression of sheer amazement. “Oh, but if you keep seeing her eating, I guess it’s not that obvious.”

Hyewon glowered at a cackling Hitomi, but Eunbi agreed with the blonde. “I mean, she’s not wrong,” Eunbi pointed out. Hearing that, Hyewon pouted and folded her arms across her chest, pretending to be cross. Eunbi secretly found it quite endearing; it was yet another expression that made her realise her initial impression of Hyewon being apathetic was far from true. 

“Anyway, I’ll call you in when we’re discussing fittings and other things,” Eunbi poked Hyewon, directing Hyewon’s attention back to her. “Sound good?”

“As long as you’re there, anything’s good,” Hyewon said, grinning. This was good, Eunbi thought, this confidence. Even though it was quite unnecessarily flirty, this was her Hyewon. Well, not  _ hers _ , that wasn’t what she meant at all. 

While Eunbi was distracted with her internal thoughts, Hitomi tugged on Hyewon’s sleeve. “I don’t think you should be flirting with Nako’s sister in front of Nako,” Hitomi whispered into her ear.

“Speak for yourself,” Hyewon hissed back. “You might want to wipe that lipstick off Nako’s cheek before Eunbi notices.” 

Hitomi turned around to look at Nako; sure enough, there was a bright red lipstick mark - the colour of Hitomi’s lipstick - imprinted on Nako’s cheek. Embarrassed, she quickly whipped out a makeup removing wipe to remove the stain before Eunbi could notice. Nako raised her eyebrows inquisitively at first, wondering why she was doing that, but smirked when she saw the lipstick on the makeup wipe. Just in time, too, as Eunbi started to speak.

“I should get going,” Eunbi said, glancing at her phone. “Sian will throw a fit if I keep being late..”

“Oh! But before you go,” Hitomi offered Eunbi a croissant with both hands. “Please have a breakfast croissant on me.” Eunbi was surprised, not because of the offer, but because she had no idea where the bread even came from. 

“Someone’s trying to suck up to the sister-in-law,” Hyewon mumbled under her breath. In response, Hitomi discreetly kicked Hyewon’s ankle, making her yelp in pain, all while Hitomi kept a polite smile on her face.

“Uh, thank you, Hitomi.” Eunbi nodded in thanks as she accepted the bun. Waving goodbye, she headed off to the office, warm bread in her hands and an accomplished feeling in her heart. She couldn’t wait to tell Sian about their new model.


	6. Six.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've run out of buffer material, so updates after this one are gonna come slower. sorry bout that ^^"

_ Honestly, screw Kang Hyewon and her ungodly metabolic rate _ , Eunbi thought for the umpteenth time this week. How one person could demolish an entire table’s worth of delivery food over the span of a couple of hours, Eunbi would never know. How said person, after demolishing boxes of chicken, kimbap, and other assorted snacks, still appear slim in their very fitting clothes, only Hyewon would know.

Eunbi had never hated Hyewon more, especially when she just knew her stomach would bulge out after eating a single piece of chicken breast.

“Here,” Hyewon waved a drumstick in Eunbi’s face. “You should eat something too, Eunbi.”

“I really shouldn’t,” Eunbi muttered. The scent of deep fried chicken wafting in the air was so, so tempting. It took every fibre in her being to not just stuff herself with good food.

“Not hungry?” Hyewon asked, pouting. Eunbi might have found that expression quite endearing a while back at the bakery, but after a week of fitting and adjusting with Hyewon, she was immune to it. Hyewon would always pout when Eunbi refused to eat more than a couple bites of whatever they had ordered that day, and Eunbi would always give in to the pout. Lord knows how many kilograms she gained in the first few days of working with Hyewon.

“Not hungry,” Eunbi agreed, tightening her abdominal muscles to stop her stomach from growling. She channeled the frustration from her hunger into the clothes hanging on the mannequin in front of her, stabbing cloth with a sharp needle as she adjusted the fit of the dresses.

Sian glanced at her, amused. She had worked with Eunbi long enough to know when the woman was on a diet - which was, to be quite honest, everyday - and decided to help her out. “Hyewon, I think we should continue the fittings for the other outfits soon, maybe take a couple photos for better visualisation. Maybe we should keep the rest of the food for later? For when we’re done,” Sian suggested.

Hyewon immediately nodded and licked her fingers clean. For reasons Eunbi could not decipher, Hyewon always listened to Sian. “I’ll go wash my hands,” Hyewon announced, scooting out of the fitting room.

Once she was out of earshot, Eunbi sighed and leaned back into Sian who was standing behind her. “That woman must have been born to test my conviction,” she complained. “How the heck does she eat so much?”

“Her stomach must be a black hole,” Sian said, chuckling.

“I wish mine was, too. Then I wouldn’t have to go on a diet all the time.” Eunbi sighed again. “Lord knows how many diets Nako and I have already tried.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if everyone’s stomachs were just black holes, and we could eat forever without gaining any weight?”

Eunbi hummed in delight and grinned up at Sian. “What a dream  _ that _ would be.”

“I’m back-” Hyewon paused just outside the door at the sight of Eunbi leaning against Sian, clearly comfortable. She wouldn’t be lying if she said they were a beautiful couple, and they seemed to have great synergy. Well, she thought to herself, someone had to be single here, and she guessed she’d be the one to fulfil that role. Made sense, too, considering that she was an awkward being with severe anxiety. Who’d ever want to date someone like that?

Stretching, Eunbi glanced at the doorway and waved at Hyewon to come in. “Why are you standing outside? Come on, let’s get this show on the road.”

#

“Hyewon, if you’re going to pick Nako up from work, can you tell her that I’ll be back much later tonight?” Eunbi called out from her work desk. They had just finished a round of photoshoots for the first few outfits of Woolimz’s new collection, and she was going over the shots while making minute adjustments to her drawings.

Hyewon poked her head out of the fitting room where she was getting dressed. “Sure, yeah. What’s up?”

“Sian and I have to attend another fashion event,” Eunbi rolled her eyes. “I’m so tired of these events, sometimes I wonder why I’m even in this business.”

Hyewon snorted, closing the fitting room door behind her as she walked out. “Must be such a struggle to be so high-profile, attending all these events where you can sit down and watch tall and beautiful models walk.”

Eunbi stared at her with dead eyes. “You do realise you’re going to be one of those so-called ‘tall and beautiful models’, right? In a few months’ time?”

“Ah.” Truth be told, Hyewon was not prepared for that in the slightest, and the idea of walking out in front of dozens of people with all eyes on her was… not an idea she was comfortable with. It was difficult enough walking into an actual meeting room without panicking, although she had slowly gotten used to doing that through her time spent modelling here at Woolimz.

“Scared?” Eunbi asked, not without some concern. She still remembered Hyewon’s panic attack, and was not keen on it happening again.

Hyewon gulped and nodded. She understood, after working with Eunbi for a while, that she wouldn’t be judged for her anxiety. “Absolutely terrified.”

Eunbi got up from her work desk and made her way over to Hyewon. She took Hyewon’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “With enough practice, I’m sure you can do it. Okay?”

Hyewon glanced at their interlocking fingers, sure that Eunbi hadn’t even realised that they had done so. “Yeah, okay. Sure.” She mustered up a smile for Eunbi.

“Eunbi, we need to go soon,” Sian strode into the office, her phone in hand as she scrolled through the day’s schedule. 

Eunbi immediately let go of Hyewon’s hand and bounced over to Sian, leaning on her shoulder as she stared at the schedule on the phone screen. Sensing that she should probably be leaving, Hyewon grabbed her bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll be going now, then.”

Eunbi waved at her, although she never looked up from the screen. Sian looked up to smile at her. “Bye, Hyewon. I’ll call you when we need you next.”

#

As Hyewon made her way to Nako’s workplace in the summer heat, she found herself thinking of finding a girlfriend. She hadn’t thought about it much throughout her life; it was hard enough making friends, and she had found a good one in Hitomi. Then in the week before summer she had met Nako, the love of Hitomi’s life, and the idea of Hitomi actually dating someone suddenly became very, very real.

The idea of Hyewon herself potentially dating someone suddenly became very, very real.

Then she met Eunbi. A woman who amused her with her strange antics, wanting to talk to her younger sister but insisting she couldn’t. It certainly didn’t help that Eunbi was attractive enough that Hyewon started to take an interest in her.

But Eunbi had Sian. They looked perfect together, even Hyewon couldn’t deny that.

So she was back to square one. Back to being lonesome, anxiety-ridden Kang Hyewon.

Sometimes, Hyewon thought, life just really, really sucked.


	7. Seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made a playlist for this fic uwu  
> You can listen to it here!: [ Ricotta Cheesecake Playlist ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ-5BaoWtqBEzHeOvZER9GzChmE6ZaICV)

Nako loved her days off. It was nice being able to wake up late, nice to shuffle around in her pyjamas and bedroom slippers, nice to just lounge around in the apartment without a care in the world. Nice, at least until she started feeling really lonely in the empty house. And it was only ten in the morning.

Huffing, she got changed into a black blouse with see-through sleeves and a white skirt, ready to go out and explore. Glancing out the window, it seemed like a good day to go out. The sun was bright, birds were chirping, and a bunch of kids who were probably taller than her were playing outside. The unfortunate reminder of her petite frame made Nako also tug on a pair of platform sneakers.

No harm in cheating the system, she thought. Just because she was born small didn’t mean she couldn’t try to be taller. Flinging their apartment door open, Nako took in a deep breath of the fresh air outside that smelled a little bit like grass and a little bit like carbon pollution, and went on her way.

By habit, she wound up walking through her university campus. She followed the route she knew by heart, nodding at the few students who stayed back for summer school or to catch up on their theses. Heading for the gymnasium, she paused in front of the large wooden doors before turning the corner. For once, the vending machines in front of the gym were fully stocked, and she bought a bottle of cold water before walking into the gym.

The difference in noise level between outside and inside was astounding. The gym echoed with shoes squeaking on polished floors, balls bouncing with thunderous thuds, and the shouting of over a dozen enthusiastic students. Lord knew how these people could shout while run; Nako could only wish she could have their broken levels of stamina.

Nako found her quarry at the other end of the gym practising cheerleading moves and doing backflips. Blonde hair clung to Hitomi’s sweaty face, her cheeks reddened from exertion as she finished her routine with a split. The cheerleader got to her feet amidst cheers and claps from the rest of her team, grinning shyly. Her captain went up to her and offered her a small face towel. “Nicely done, Hii-chan. If we keep this up, we’ll win semis, no problem.”

“That goes without saying,” Hitomi agreed, taking the towel and wiping away her sweat. Glancing to her left, she caught Nako hiding behind a pillar, watching them with a steady gaze. “I think I see someone, hold on a minute.”

She approached Nako and grinned down at her. “This is unexpected.”

Nako shrugged, pretending she wasn’t embarrassed that she was caught so easily. “It’s my free day.” She pressed one of the cold water bottles against Hitomi’s cheek to cool the taller girl down. “You were amazing doing those backflips and stuff.”

“Thanks, babe.” Cracking open the water bottle, Hitomi took a big gulp of water. It was the most refreshing thing she did today, aside from seeing Nako’s adorable face. “Oh, that sure hits the spot.”

Looking down at Nako, she wiggled her eyebrows. “You know what else would hit the spot?” Hitomi leaned down to peck Nako on the lips. “That.”

Nako blushed but backed away. “I know this is a ruse to get me to hug your sweaty body, which isn’t happening any time soon.”

“Saw right through her, didn’t you?” Hitomi’s captain appeared from behind Hitomi and waved at Nako. “Hey, long time no see.”

“H-hi, Nayoung.” A silly grin formed on Nako’s face when she greeted the captain of the cheerleading team. 

Narrowing her eyes at the reaction, Hitomi took that as her cue. She grabbed Nako’s hand and pulled her closer. “Nayoung, is it okay if I take that rest day today?”

Nayoung and Hitomi’s eyes met, their gaze speaking a thousand words. “Sure,” Nayoung said after what seemed like an eternity. “You deserve it. Let your body rest for the weekend.”

As Nako waited for Hitomi in the locker room adjacent to the showers, she let out a frustrated huff. “You didn’t have to drag me to the lockers, you know. I could have waited outside for you.”

“Sure,” Hitomi agreed, “and let you continue staring at my captain, right? Like we both don’t know you have a crush on her.” 

“What, you jealous?” Nako teased, just as Hitomi walked out of the showers in her underwear and a towel draped over her shoulders. Glancing at her, Nako’s cheeks immediately reddened and she averted her gaze. Hitomi didn’t have any business looking like that, with her wet hair messily tossed everywhere and her abs out for everyone to see.

Well, not everyone, just Nako - and that made her all the more bashful. “Put some clothes on, will you?” Nako grumbled, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Hitomi. She yelped in surprise when the blonde decidedly draped herself over the shorter girl, nuzzling her face into Nako’s shoulder. Nako could feel Hitomi’s body pressed against her front. With a teasing finger Nako traced the outline of Hitomi’s abs before poking her side, and this time, Hitomi was the one to squeak and jump back.

“That’s not fair!” Hitomi complained.

Just before Nako was about to continue teasing her, an unfamiliar voice interrupted them. “Dear Lord, my eyes!” The stranger groaned. “Come on, guys, I didn’t come here to see a couple flirting half-naked.”

“And yet you chose not to close your eyes,” Hitomi pointed out. 

The stranger - an impossibly tall girl with a cheeky grin and light brown hair tied up in a high ponytail - stuck her tongue out at Hitomi. She also waved at Nako before bouncing away to the opposite end of the locker room.

After Hitomi got dressed and the couple left the gym, Nako tugged on Hitomi’s shirt. “Who was that?”

“Yujin? She’s a high-school basketball player who got scouted by our university, so she’ll be our junior when next term starts.”

“She’s a giant.”

“She so totally is a giant,” Hitomi agreed. “But then again, you’re a tiny bean.” Smirking at Nako’s pointed glare, she continued, “Anyway, where do you want to go today?”

#

They ended up strolling around the city before munching down on some random snacks from food stalls. Nako was more than happy to spend her hard-earned money on their food date, buying everything from gyoza and oden to cheese hotdogs and tteokbokki skewers. Everything was rapidly consumed by the two starving girls, especially Nako, who was actually on a diet but couldn’t care less at the moment.

For dessert, they stopped by their favourite hotteok place, watching as the stall owner filled the pancakes with brown sugar and nuts. The scent of dough being pan-fried was heavenly, and Nako couldn’t help but drool as the pancakes sizzled on the hot plate. Hitomi giggled at the sight of her girlfriend eagerly taking the hotteok from the stall owner. Nako was just too cute in everything she did.

“Hii-chan?” Nako waved a hotteok in front of Hitomi’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Hitomi leaned down to take a bite of the pancake in Nako’s hand. For reasons unknown, the act made both girls suddenly feel very shy. Grinning, Hitomi took the hotteok from Nako’s hand, replacing it with her own hand. “Let’s go.”

They wandered around some more after that, the bright summer sun beating down on them as they flitted from shop to shop, no particular destination in mind. It was nice, this kind of aimless freedom. Like nineteen-year-olds in love they bought matching rings and matching t-shirts, laughing as they smudged ice-cream on each other’s faces, huddling in the shade to avoid sunburn.

It wasn’t until five in the evening - which, in the summer, was still very much daytime, that Nako began to feel just a little bit off. Hitomi first noticed it when they were waiting to cross the street. The hand that she was holding felt oddly cold and clammy. Concerned, she quickly checked on Nako. The shorter girl’s eyes were half-lidded, as if fighting to stay awake as she swayed in place. Hitomi tugged on Nako’s hand to attract her attention. 

“Nako? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Nako rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, then glanced up when the light turned green. “Oh, we can cross now.”

She didn’t look okay, though, and Hitomi held on tightly to Nako’s hand as they crossed the street. It worried her how much Nako was sweating all of a sudden. Even though her girlfriend was assuring her that she was fine, Hitomi could tell that something was wrong.

“Babe, are you sure you don’t want to take a break?” Hitomi asked for the fifth time in two minutes.

“I’m sure,” Nako muttered, squeezing her eyes shut as she struggled to remain standing. She took all two breaths before her legs gave in and she collapsed on the pavement.

“Nako!”


	8. Eight.

Nako awoke to darkness. Confused, panicked, she jolted up before being overcome with dizziness and flopping back down. Feeling out her surroundings, she realised she was in a large bed full of pillows. She reached out blindly, and pulled at the blanket covering her. She breathed in its scent.  _ Peaches and cream _ . Smiling at the familiar fragrance, she cocooned herself in Hitomi’s blanket.

She could hear whispers just outside the room. The bedroom door creaked open just an inch, letting in the faintest sliver of light. “Do you think she’s awake?” she heard a quiet voice ask through the gap.

Nako lifted her head up as far as she could without inducing another terrible headache. “Hyewon?” she croaked. “Hii-chan?”

The sound of feet shuffling around, then: “Can we come in?”

Nako laughed; the noise that came out sounded like a braying horse. Her throat was too dry for her to make any other sound. “Hii-chan, you don’t have to ask me that. This is your room, isn’t it?”

“How did you know?” Hitomi asked, walking in with a tray of medicine and a glass of water. Hyewon trailed after her, stopping to turn on the lamp next to the bed.

“The blanket smells like you.” Hitomi blushed at Nako’s blunt statement. Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

“You two are the grossest couple I know,” Hyewon complained as she perched on the side of the bed. Sticking her hand under the blanket, she took Nako’s hand. “You feeling better?”

Nako nodded, turning on her side to look at Hitomi properly. “What happened?”

“You fainted. The doctor said it was heat exhaustion.” Hitomi offered a hand, propping Nako up against the bed frame. Picking up the glass of water, she pressed the rim of the cup against Nako’s lips, encouraging her to hydrate. Nako took cautious sips of water, holding Hitomi’s hand to keep the cup steady.

Watching this simple yet loving moment before her, Hyewon slowly started to feel as if she didn’t belong here. She shifted awkwardly, waiting in silence until Nako addressed her. “Hyewon, have you told Eunbi about this?”

“No, not yet. I tried calling her just now, but her phone might be on silent.”

“Good.” Nako sighed in relief and started to rise from the bed. “Don’t tell her, or else she’ll get worried. Hii-chan, can you help me up?”

“Wait, wait, why?” Hyewon and Hitomi asked at the same time. Hitomi placed firm hands on Nako’s shoulders, trying to push her back down. “You need rest!”

“I need to get home before Eunbi does,” Nako insisted, throwing the covers off. Nothing Hitomi and Hyewon said could dissuade her, and before they knew it, she was already walking out of the bedroom. Hitomi recognised the expression on Nako’s face; it was the one that she always wore when she was determined not to let anyone worry about her. She wished Nako would learn to rely on people a little bit more, but Nako insisted on being as sturdy as a stone. Even though Hitomi could see past through the cracks in her facade, not many others could.

Hitomi wondered whether Eunbi could see through Nako. Hitomi really hoped she could.

“We’ll walk you back,” Hyewon offered. Hitomi had already picked up Nako’s forgotten bag, hanging from the coat rack. Nako paused and glanced at both women, touched. Maybe it wasn’t so bad having someone - or two - to lean on now and again.

#

Nako opened the door to her apartment and peered in nervously. Once she was sure it was empty, she quickly scurried in, holding the door open for her companions. She beelined for her room to dump all her things in there and change into something more comfortable, and Hitomi followed her in. Hyewon was left in the living room of the apartment. 

She didn’t really take Eunbi to be the messy type, but the clutter of papers, pens, and random snack wrappers on the table said otherwise. Some deadlines must be coming up, she mused. Crouching down, she started to neatly arrange everything, stacking papers together and gathering food wrappers. 

As she made her way to the kitchen to dispose of all the trash, the apartment door opened. Eunbi trudged in, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Both women froze at the sight of each other - Eunbi had a vague sense of deja vu at this scene. She stared at the large pile of trash in Hyewon’s arms. Hyewon grinned back at her.

“Welcome back, Eunbi.”

“Wh-” Eunbi furrowed her brows. “Hyewon?”

Hyewon made some non-committal noise before continuing her short trek to the kitchen trashcan. Throwing away the load in her arms, she grabbed a mug from the kitchen and filled it with some water. “Here you go,” she said, shuffling to Eunbi and pushing the cup into her hands. “You look tired, drink something.”

Eunbi was torn between confusion and amusement. Deciding on the latter, she gulped down the water and thrust the cup back into Hyewon’s hands. “You’re acting like this is your house or something.”

“Yup.”

“It’s not, though.”

“Yup. It could be, though.” Hyewon wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Eunbi, cracking up when Eunbi’s face contorted into a million different expressions in a second. “I’m kidding, relax. Unless…?”

“Oh, welcome back, Eunbi!” Nako greeted as she exited her room. “Tough day?”

“Yeah.” Eunbi carelessly threw her bag onto the living room couch, then proceeded to also throw herself onto the couch. Rolling over, she closed her eyes and sighed. “God, why must there be so many people to talk to just to organise a freaking show?”

“It be like that sometimes,” Hyewon agreed. “Well, since you’re back, I guess we’ll be going, Nako.”

“We?” Eunbi cracked open one eye. “Who’s ‘we’?”

“Um, h-hi.” A quiet voice startled Eunbi. She promptly rolled off the couch onto the floor. Hyewon winced at the loud thud of Eunbi’s body hitting the wooden floor.

Massaging the back of her head, Eunbi squinted at the blonde girl attempting to hide behind Nako. “Oh, Hitomi, right?”

Hitomi immediately brightened at the mention of her name, nodding eagerly. “Yes!” She extended her hand to Eunbi. “Please, let me help you up.”

Hyewon eyed Nako as Hitomi pulled Eunbi to her feet. “She’s never like that with me,” she groused.

Nako glanced up at her, mirth in her eyes. “You’re not her future sister-in-law.”

“You don’t know that,” Hyewon muttered, so quiet that Nako nearly missed it. But she didn’t, and that comment piqued her interest greatly.

“What do you mean-”

“Okay! Let’s go, Hitomi,” Hyewon suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Hitomi and ushering her out. Trailing after them, Nako hesitated at the threshold of the door before pulling Hitomi into a sudden hug, not caring that Eunbi was standing next to them. Eunbi raised her eyebrows, but put it down to Nako’s naturally affectionate personality. 

That left her and Hyewon standing awkwardly - one just inside the door, one just outside. “Do you want me to hug you too?” Eunbi asked, half-joking. She certainly didn’t expect Hyewon to wrap her arms around her in a hug so quick it probably only lasted a millisecond and a half. Stepping away from Eunbi, Hyewon stared at a point slightly to the left of Eunbi, unable to meet her eyes.

“See you at the office,” she blurted before rushing away.

“What was that?” Nako wondered after she waved goodbye to Hitomi.

“Who knows?” Eunbi kept her tone light, but why did that hug - if it could even be called a hug, short as it was - leave her heart beating just a little bit faster? Exhaustion, she thought. Her tiredness accumulated over the day must be catching up to her, making her body react weirdly for no good reason whatsoever. Closing the door behind her, Eunbi leaned against it and placed a hand on her heart, willing it to slow.

It had to be exhaustion… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> procrastinating from uni by writing. find me @ashensprites on twitter to aid in my procrasti-writing causes lol


	9. Nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heylo, before you continue reading, thanks for sticking with me here! if you have twitter and wanna chat about stories or the struggles of life, you can always find me here: [ @ashensprites ](https://twitter.com/ashensprites) uwu

The runway was much bigger than Hyewon expected. It stretched before her, seemingly never-ending. It expanded and shrunk before her eyes - one moment too narrow, forcing her to navigate it like a tightrope, and the next moment it was as vast and wide as the ocean, making her feel as if she was the only one standing on a large stage, attracting the eyes of every single person there. She could feel her heart start to dance erratically again. She raised a trembling hand to clutch at her chest, another to cover her mouth as she huffed out uneven breaths.

With every shaky step she took forward, she just knew that people were laughing at her. They whispered behind her back, commenting on her awkward expressions, sniggered when she stumbled and tripped over her own feet. 

It had always been this way, ever since her first performance in elementary school.

At the end of the runway, sitting with cold, calculating eyes, was Eunbi. An ethereal goddess in all of her intimidating beauty, flanked by her equally beautiful partner, Lee Sian. Hyewon could feel them judging her, disapproval growing with every second, shaking their heads at her graceless movements. 

Eunbi snapped her fingers, and a trapdoor opened under Hyewon’s feet. She could feel herself falling, falling through darkness, and all she wanted was for it to swallow her whole…

And then her alarm went off, startling her awake. Cold sweat rolled down her back and drenched her sleep shirt. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she shivered in her warm bedroom. The nightmare felt so real, too real. Glancing at her phone, she noted with growing dread the date on the screen. Three more weeks. 

Three more weeks, and she’d have to live out her nightmare in real life.

Her phone buzzed, making her jolt again. An incoming message from Sian read: “Hyewon, please don’t forget to come into the office a bit earlier today. We need to make some adjustments before runway practice.”

Hyewon buried her head in her hands with a groan. _Fuck._

#

“You don’t look so good,” Nako remarked as she handed over a bag full of bread to Hyewon. “Are you sick?”

“Didn’t sleep well,” Hyewon muttered.

Nako bit her lip. “Do you need me to call Eunbi? Tell her you can’t go in today?”

Hyewon shook her head vigorously. She couldn’t just chicken out of this job; what would Eunbi think of her? 

Knowing full well she couldn’t dissuade Hyewon, Nako grabbed a couple of macarons on display and packed them into a box. She shoved it into Hyewon’s bag. “Then at least eat some of this. You can share them with Eunbi, she likes macarons too.”

Thanking Nako, Hyewon tiredly staggered out of the bakery. Pursing her lips, Nako made a quick call to Eunbi. “Eunbi, Hyewon doesn’t look so well today…”

#

Hyewon found herself shoved into a comfortable roller chair upon arrival at the office. Sian carted her from the door all the way to the fitting room where Eunbi was waiting for them. Plucking the bag of bread from Hyewon’s hand, Sian neatly arranged the food on one of the tables. As she did that, Eunbi leaned in to stare at Hyewon.

“You look haunted,” Eunbi said very matter-of-factly.

“Thanks, I am.” The words came out in a tone harsher than Hyewon expected, and she winced in apology.

Eunbi frowned in concern; Hyewon’s biting remark did nothing to hide the exhaustion seeping through. But Hyewon didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it, so Eunbi filed it in the back of her mind to discuss at a later time. “Ready to start work?” she asked instead, offering the black-haired girl a supportive smile. Hyewon nodded, taking one of the outfits hanging from the rack and heading off to the changing room in silence.

Sian and Eunbi glanced at each other in apprehension. “You think chicken’s going to make her feel better?” Sian wondered.

Eunbi shrugged.“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

To their relief, the plan worked. The constant food supply brought colour back into Hyewon’s cheeks, and soon she was back to her normal teasing self. As they took their lunch break, Eunbi absentmindedly reached for a macaron and bit into it. The refreshing taste of watermelon filled her mouth and she hummed in delighted surprise. Sian and Hyewon both turned to her at the same time. 

“Good?” they asked simultaneously.

Sian froze and stared at Hyewon, surprised that the model had asked the same question in the exact same tone of voice. It shouldn’t have been anything special, except that was the tone that Sian had always kept just for Eunbi when they were alone working together. It was that kind of intimate tone -- to Sian, at least -- that Hyewon shouldn’t be adopting, especially since the black-haired woman had only known Eunbi for what? A couple weeks at most?

As she was ruminating over this, Hyeon leaned in towards Eunbi, staring at the macaron in her hand. Eunbi held back a laugh at the way Hyewon’s eyes shone with greed. She waved the macaron in front of Hyewon, bringing it towards the woman and then pulling back, amusing herself with the way Hyewon’s gaze would follow the food and open her mouth whenever it got near her.

Tired of the teasing, Hyewon drew her face into a pout. She poked Eunbi’s hand, tugging it closer to her so she could eat the macaron. Cracking up, Eunbi resisted for a second more before allowing Hyewon to eat the other half of the dessert out of her hand.

Eunbi’s gaze was drawn to the woman’s ruby-red lips as they wrapped around the macaron, brushing her fingers at the same time. She found herself smiling when Hyewon’s eyes fluttered closed as she ate the macaron.

Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Sian awkwardly cleared her throat. “We need to get to the event hall soon, ladies. And we can’t be late, I could only book it for a couple hours for practice.”

“Hm?” Eunbi was startled from her trance. “Oh yeah, of course. Let’s finish up quickly and head over there. Come on, Hyewon,” she said, offering her hand for Hyewon to take. She chuckled at the smidge of cream left in the corner of the model’s lips, and casually wiped it off with her thumb. “Jeez, look at you.”

Hyewon threw her a careless grin. “Thanks, Eunbi.” Her gaze flitted over to Sian, stiffening at the almost murderous look in Sian’s eyes. That’s right, Hyewon thought. Sian and Eunbi were a thing, and she, an outsider, should not come between them. Meekly nodding at Sian, Hyewon stepped back from Eunbi’s outstretched hand.

_Know your place, Kang Hyewon_ , she told herself. She saw the hurt and confused look in Eunbi’s eyes as the older woman retracted her hand and internally apologised. _Know your place._

The car ride to the event hall was no better for Hyewon. As Sian drove them across the city, Eunbi kept trying to engage Hyewon in conversation. Eunbi rode shotgun, which meant that she had to keep turning around in her seat to talk to Hyewon who was seated in the back. Hyewon could feel Sian’s sharp glances towards her in the rearview mirror every time she opened her mouth to reply. 

The struggle was real. On the one hand, it was probably rude if Hyewon kept ignoring Eunbi; at the same time, she didn’t want to die under Sian’s burning gaze. What was a girl to do? She could only shrink in her seat and will the car to hurry up and arrive at their destination.

But walking into the event hall, noting the vast spaciousness of it, Hyewon was reminded of her nightmare. It wasn’t a dream anymore, not a figment of her imagination, not something she could just wake up from and pretend didn’t exist. All of a sudden everything felt too real, and Hyewon wasn’t ready for it.

She took a shaky step backwards, her breath coming out in quick gasps. How her body was screaming at her to turn around and run, run to a place where no one could see, where she was safe and away from prying eyes.

“Hyewon?” Unlike in her nightmare, Eunbi’s soft voice coming from behind her was a soothing presence. A gentle touch on her arm, polite and careful.

“Hyewon?” Eunbi repeated, voice laced with concern. Her hand moved to Hyewon’s back, acting as a support. Hyewon was unable to reply, rooted to the spot out of fear. Her hands were balled into fists that shook at her sides.

Eunbi moved on pure instinct. She wrapped her arms around Hyewon’s trembling figure, holding her tight as she murmured little nothings into Hyewon's back to calm her down. She could feel Hyewon slowly start to relax in her arms. They inhaled and exhaled as one.

Hyewon allowed herself to lean back on Eunbi for a while as she closed her eyes. Once again, she internally apologised, this time to Sian. 

_I’m sorry, but just for now, just for this moment, let me have her instead._


	10. Ten.

Why did Hyewon take up modelling, of all things? She watched the other models who had arrived a while later prepare for practice, and as they strutted around in their heels, Hyewon came to realise how unqualified she was to be a model. They were so tall, so slim, so elegant; they were everything she wasn’t. 

Sure, Hyewon was slim. But that was where the similarities ended. She was awkward and clumsy. Throughout her years at school she was given the ‘hyung’ title, as everyone saw her as a ragtag, boyish figure rather than the graceful being she sought to be. 

Standing next to the models, she could sense the intimidating aura oozing from the other models that made her feel like she was a peasant standing among royalty. Every time one of them tried to engage her in conversation, she forced herself to stutter her way through it, and could barely even hold a conversation for a minute before imaginary crickets started to chirp.

And standing on the humongous stage, the runway stretching far ahead, with these ethereal beings, was unreal. Hyewon could feel herself trembling where she stood as she scanned the stage. Everything was so new and so terrifying, and it took her everything in her body not to just collapse into a heap of panic.

She knew the only reason she hadn’t yet bolted out of the door was the woman who stood before her and the other models, directing them with simple instructions and observing them with clear eyes.

When did Kwon Eunbi become such a cornerstone in her life?

As Eunbi beckoned to her with a hand, Hyewon moved forward instinctively, guided by an invisible thread that linked her and the fashion designer. She was Eunbi’s marionette, following every instruction without a second thought. She crossed the stage shakily in her natural awkward gait, unused to wearing heels for prolonged periods of time, but gave a shy smile when the models applauded her for a solid try.

Maybe this wasn’t as bad as she had first thought.

“What do you think of doing a quick walk down the runway, girls?” Eunbi asked. “I’ll go downstage, see how it looks like from down there.”

No, Hyewon wanted to shout, don’t leave me here alone! But with the words failing on her tongue, it seemed as if she had gone mute. Eunbi climbed down from the stage, and when she did that, the stage suddenly became a lot more unfriendly than before. Hyewon shook her head when the other models offered her the first walk, allowing them to go ahead without her. She was more than content where she was; in fact, to be able to stand on this stage without breaking down was already a feat in itself.

The rehearsal went over in a flash, surprising Hyewon. Almost half the time was spent watching Eunbi glide around, both on and offstage, making note of what went where. The other models left first, waving goodbye to her and Sian as they waited at the side of the stage for Eunbi to finish up.

The air between them was stifling. Hyewon wasn’t as familiar with Sian as she was with Eunbi. She didn’t know her ins and outs, had never seen her without their boss, and most importantly, was extremely uncomfortable with the glares Sian would sometimes shoot her way if she got too close with Eunbi.

“Can I ask you something?” Without looking Hyewon’s way, Sian broke the ice.

“Sure.”

“You… what do you think of Eunbi?”

“She’s a really nice person,” Hyewon immediately said.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“It’s not?” Hyewon wondered, confused.

Sian tore her eyes away from Eunbi’s wandering figure to glance, eyebrows raised, at Hyewon. She shook her head at Hyewon’s baffled expression. “Forget it. I was just wondering, it doesn’t matter.”

“Eunbi is interesting,” Hyewon spoke up. “She can be funny sometimes, quite unintentionally, but it’s the sort of silliness that brings light into the world even without realising it. She always takes care of others but not herself. She keeps looking ahead into the future, but can forget to look at the present, the now. She fears too much sometimes - not in the sense of actual phobias, but she can be paranoid about certain things. She needs someone to support her. To assure her that despite everything, it will be fine.”

Hyewon hesitated, then, watching Eunbi make her way back to them, her ponytail bouncing as she flitted across the stage: “Eunbi's just... someone really important to me, I guess.”

“I’m done!” Eunbi exclaimed, effectively stopping Sian from responding to Hyewon’s sudden soliloquy. She grinned at Sian, then Hyewon; Sian noted her gaze lingered on Hyewon for just a few beats more before taking their hands. “Come on, let’s go back to the office. I need to settle a few things.”

#

“Oh?” Nako glanced up from where she was lounging on the couch. “You’re back home early.”

Flinging off her shoes, Eunbi sprinted across the apartment and threw herself onto Nako. Wrapping her little sister in a tight hug, Eunbi rubbed their cheeks together. Nako laughed and flailed in her arms, pretending to push her away. “Why are you being like this?”

Untangling herself from Nako, Eunbi pushed herself up to mock-glare at Nako. “What? I can’t love my baby sister any more?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but just because she’s of that size doesn’t mean she’s a baby,” an amused voice spoke up. 

Nako turned her head to look at Hyewon waltzing into their apartment. Bemused, Nako waved her hand at the model. “Wait, what are you doing here?”

Hyewon gaped. “Ouch, Nako.”

“Don’t be rude,” Eunbi chastised, pinching Nako’s cheeks. “Hyewon offered to walk me home.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Nako breathed, a knowing grin slowly creeping onto her face. “Did she now?” She winked at Hyewon, noting with satisfaction the obvious blush that was blooming on the older woman’s face.

“Yes, she did, and it was very nice of her to do so.” As oblivious as ever, Eunbi got up from the couch. Heading for the kitchen, she passed Hyewon and touched her lightly on the arm. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

Nako stared at her, amused, as Hyewon hemmed and hawed before answering on her behalf. “I’m sure Hyewon would just _love_ to have dinner with us, Eunbi.” 

Hyewon shot her an embarrassed glare; Nako responded by sticking out her tongue.

“Okay, let me go get changed first.” When Eunbi shuffled into her bedroom, Hyewon scampered over to join Nako on the couch. She glanced around the corner, making sure that Eunbi was out of earshot.

“Why did you say that?” Hyewon hissed, smacking Nako lightly on the shoulder.

“I need you to stick around for a while,” Nako admitted. “You have to help me convince Eunbi to take a break from work to watch Hii-chan’s cheerleading competition with me.”

“Are you going to finally tell Eunbi you two are dating?” Hyewon covered her mouth in awe.

Nako nodded, bashful; Hyewon patted her head at the adorable sight. “Young love sure is nice,” Hyewon sighs.

“Well, how about you and Eunbi?”

“What do you mean, me and Eunbi?” Hyewon asked, feigning indifference.

“Please, just because my older sister is as dense as a brick doesn’t mean I’m the same. I know you’re interested in her.”

“Nope,” Hyewon shook her head. “I’m totally not. She’s dating Sian anyway, isn’t she.”

“She’s dating Lee Sian? Since when?” Nako cocked her head, puzzled.

“Isn’t she?”

“Pretty sure she’s not. Should I ask?” She took in a deep breath, then with the loudest voice she could muster, shouted: “EUNBI! ARE YOU-"

She was cut off when Hyewon lunged at her, covering Nako’s mouth while shaking her head violently. But it was too late; Eunbi had already heard Nako, and came outside in a tee and sweatpants with a questioning expression on her face. “Am I what?”

Nako wrenched Hyewon’s hand away, huffing. “Are you dating anyone?”

Eunbi cackled at the question. “Of course not!” Hyewon brightened at her answer, a hopeful smile spreading. “Do you really think someone as busy as me has the time to date anyone?” The speed at which Hyewon’s face immediately dropped to a crestfallen look had Nako laughing silently. She patted Hyewon’s hand in support.

“Anyway!” Eunbi walked to the adjoining kitchen and pulled on an apron. “Does tteokbokki and fried chicken sound good for dinner?”

Hyewon sprung up, all gloom erased from her face. Sprinting to the kitchen, she used her height advantage to lean over Eunbi as Eunbi started to prepare the necessary ingredients. Nako watched them bumble around the kitchen with a wistful expression on her face. It was so obvious that Hyewon fancied Eunbi, from the way Hyewon not-so-subtly glanced at the older woman every time she spoke to how she leaped to offer her help with cooking.

And when Nako noticed how a shy smile blossomed across her older sister’s face as she and Hyewon stood side-by-side, cooking at the stove, Nako started to think that maybe Hyewon’s interest wasn’t one-sided at all.


	11. Eleven.

Eunbi hadn’t been to Nako’s university in so long, not since Nako’s first day of class. It was quite impressive seeing all the students huddled together inside the gym to cheer their university’s teams on during an otherwise pleasant summer day outside. However, this meant Eunbi found herself being constantly squashed or pushed around as she attempted to manoeuvre herself past all the students and supportive family members.

“Nako, wait up!” she cried out as the small girl in front of her easily weaved through gaps in the crowd. She couldn’t lose sight of Nako now - what if Eunbi couldn’t find her later? She’d be in a right mess. There was no one else here that she knew.

But Nako was moving too fast, and Eunbi just couldn’t catch up no matter how hard she tried. When she was nudged aside for the umpteenth time, she stumbled over her feet and ended up crashing into someone else. “Oh, shit, sorry!” she quickly apologised, bowing.

A friendly arm slung itself over her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.” Eunbi immediately glanced up at the sound of an amused voice; Hyewon’s pretty face grinned down back at her. “Hey, Eunbi.”

“You’re here too?” The relief that washed over Eunbi was euphoric. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Yeah, of course. Did you lose Nako?” At Eunbi’s nod, Hyewon hummed indignantly. “Understandable, I suppose. She probably wanted to talk to the bread goddess before everything started.”

“What?”

“Hm?” Hyewon lifted her brows at Eunbi. “Oh, nothing. Come on, let’s find a place to sit before all the good spots are taken.” Taking Eunbi’s hand in hers, she navigated them through the crowd. Eunbi couldn’t help but stare at Hyewon as she allowed herself to be led. 

The grip on her hand was reassuringly warm, holding onto her tightly as Hyewon’s calm eyes scanned the bleachers for a place to sit. The model’s back seemed much bigger in that moment, inviting Eunbi to lean on her. 

“Hey, I think I see Nako,” Hyewon said, breaking Eunbi out of her reverie. She pointed to a couple of free seats right in the middle of the bleachers, where a small girl in a light blue summer dress was waving madly at them. They dashed over, settling down in the empty seats that Nako had been guarding like a mother dragon.

“Someone’s all dressed up today,” Hyewon drawled, flashing a knowing grin at Nako. 

Tossing her hair back, Nako smoothed her skirt down and simpered. “Please, I always strive to look good when we go out, unlike a certain someone who looked like she rolled out of bed two minutes ago.” Hyewon scrambled to her feet, glaring at Nako and hissing. The younger girl got to her feet as well, sticking her tongue out and pulling a face.

“Okay, children, settle down,” Eunbi instructed, pulling them back into their seats to calm them down. “Looks like the competition’s about to start.”

As the emcee stepped up to the podium, Nako leaned into Eunbi and tugged on her sleeve. “I need to tell you something,” Nako whispered. At Eunbi’s questioning look, she glanced down at where a team of cheerleaders were preparing to perform. “Later,” she added.

Still confused, Eunbi could only nod. She focused on the cheerleaders again, occasionally glancing around to observe other attendees. Her sharp eyes started to pick up on outfits that clashed, outfits that were perfectly put together, and everything else in between. She stared at handbags and jewellery, noting them down in her head, piecing them together with the designs already forming in her head. That was, until Hyewon poked her in the thigh.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Hyewon whispered. She patted Eunbi’s hand and, wide eyes scanning her face, tucked a stray curl of hair behind Eunbi’s ear. “Rest your brain for today, won’t you?”

Was it just Eunbi, or did Hyewon’s slender fingers purposely brush against her cheek? Did their eyes meet a few seconds too long? Did Eunbi really just peek at Hyewon’s parted lips as she said words Eunbi didn’t register before smiling?

Hurriedly turning her attention back to the competition, Eunbi could feel her heart racing. She slapped both hands over her cheeks, feeling them heat up beneath her palms. She snuck a glance at the woman sitting to her right. Hyewon seemed to not realise Eunbi was staring at her as she enthusiastically clapped her hands to the beat of dance music.

_Am I the only one feeling hot?,_ Eunbi wondered, fanning herself to cool down. _It must be because the gym was so full of people_.

All of a sudden, the gymnasium started to cheer, confusing her. “Enozi! Enozi! Enozi!”

Hyewon chuckled. “There really is an advantage to competing in your home base, huh?”

Eunbi looked down at the cheerleaders; sure enough, they were sporting the university’s official colours. They were stood in some formation she had never seen before - not that she had watched enough cheerleading performances to comment on it.

A drumroll, and when the music started, a very familiar fair-skinned girl in a cheerleading outfit leaped out. Blonde hair tied in a high ponytail swung in place as Hitomi carried out a series of impressive stunts, doing backflips and cartwheels with effortless ease. Even from where she was sitting in the bleachers Eunbi could feel Hitomi’s confidence oozing out as her body moved to the beat.

It wasn’t often that Eunbi said this, but watching Hitomi down there, performing her heart out… It was awesome.

Hyewon nudged her and pointed to their left. Eunbi followed her pointing finger to look at Nako. The girl sitting next to her was another sight to behold. Perched on the edge of her seat, her younger sister was leaning forward, eyes shining bright as they followed Hitomi’s movements. Nako clapped and gasped at every gesture Hitomi made, the widest grin Eunbi had ever seen stretching across her face.

And when the performance ended, Nako surged to her feet, cheering wildly. Eunbi followed her proud gaze to Hitomi who was panting as she held a pose, cheeks red with exertion. She swore Hitomi was gazing back at Nako with the exact same expression on her face, a mixture of pride and exhilaration. It was as if they couldn’t hear the raucous cheers of the crowd, like they were in a separate dimension where only the two of them existed. 

Something clicked deep within Eunbi’s brain; she just didn’t know what.

#

The competition broke for an hour for lunch, with the winner to be announced after. Eunbi and Hyewon stood around outside the gym, waiting for Nako to come out. They watched dozens of spectators file out of the gym, parents chatting with their children still dressed in cheerleading uniforms, and groups of students laughing and teasing their cheerleading friends over silly poses or poorly-timed photos of their performance.

“Is there something going on between Nako and Hitomi?” Eunbi suddenly wondered aloud.

Taken aback, Hyewon gaped at Eunbi before snorting. “Wow, you actually noticed?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hyewon cracked up at Eunbi’s shocked expression. Leaning on Eunbi as she laughed, Hyewon waved her question away. Eunbi was affronted, words of frustration resting on the tip of her tongue, but held it back as Hyewon’s weight caused them to sway together. She settled for pouting instead, prompting Hyewon to poke her puffed-out cheek before bursting into laughter again. Huffing, Eunbi tried her best to shift away from Hyewon, pretending to be annoyed.

“Eunbi! Hyewon!” Nako’s loud, high-pitched voice caught their attention. They turned to see Nako walking towards them, hand-in-hand with Hitomi. Arriving to stand in front of the two older women, Nako straightened her back and took in a deep breath. “Eunbi, I wanted to introduce someone to you.”

Eunbi furrowed her brows. “I already know Hitomi, though.”

Nako shook her head and made a shushing sound. “Let me introduce her again, properly this time. Hii-chan, this is Eunbi, my older sister. Eunbi, this is Honda Hitomi, my girlfriend.”

Eunbi’s mouth dropped open into a silent ‘O’. Catching the change in expression, Hyewon stifled a laugh with the back of her hand. Watching Eunbi struggle to formulate a sentence, Hyewon decided to take the reins. “You kids must be hungry, right? Let’s go grab some lunch. You two lead the way” - she pushed Nako and Hitomi forward - “and we’ll follow you.”

Trailing a few steps behind the two younger girls, Eunbi couldn’t stop staring at their linked hands. Now that she paid more attention to them, she started to notice the way Nako would tiptoe to whisper something into Hitomi’s ear, only to lean on the blond a second later as they giggled; or how Hitomi would smooth down Nako’s hair when it was whipped around by the summer breeze, a soft smile on her face; even the simple way they would look at each other to communicate without needing to utter a single word.

“I’m actually so dense,” Eunbi muttered under her breath. “How am I only seeing this now?”

Amused, Hyewon shrugged with her hands tucked in her pockets. “I know, right? Nice to know even people like you can have flaws like the rest of us normal people.”

Eunbi harrumphed at the grinning woman. “Oh, you shut up.”

Hyewon grinned at her. “Never.”


	12. Twelve.

With only an hour’s break for lunch, they settled for a small restaurant nearby that, according to Nako, made the best cheese katsu she had ever eaten in her whole life. Placing their orders, the four women sat down at a free table with Nako and Hitomi on one side, and Hyewon and Eunbi on the other.

Sensing the awkwardness that was sure to come, Nako and Hyewon immediately struck up a conversation to lighten the mood. As Hitomi followed their banter with a smile, she accidentally met Eunbi’s eyes and shrunk in her seat. Eunbi wanted to chuckle at the duality of the blonde Japanese girl - one minute, she was the star of the show, exuding passion and confidence, and the next minute she was sitting shyly with her head bowed in front of Eunbi.

“So, Hitomi,” Eunbi ventured with the gentlest voice she could muster, “how did you meet Nako?”

“We, um, we met at the start of first year.” Hitomi glanced at Nako nervously. Nako patted her girlfriend’s hand in encouragement, and they interlocked fingers under the table. Gaining strength, Hitomi continued. “We shared some of the same tutorials, so we ended up becoming friends and hanging out together.”

“Then you invited me to watch one of your cheerleading practices, didn’t you?” Nako exclaimed. “I’d never really seen a proper cheerleading performance before. I still remember thinking how cool your moves were. I practically fell in love with you when you were practising backflips.”

“And as they say,” Hyewon finished, “the rest is history.” 

Just as she said that, their food arrived. Four identical plates of cheese katsu were slid in front of them, followed by their chosen sides. Nako and Hitomi brightened up at their plates of curry rice; Eunbi gave Hyewon her best side-eye as she moved her tteokbokki away, forcing Hyewon to focus on her ramen instead. Nako excitedly dug into a slice of cheese katsu, her eyes widening in joy as the cheese stretched and stretched. The more she pulled it away from her, the longer the cheese grew from the katsu, until in the end Hitomi had to step in and break the never-ending cheese string with her chopsticks.

“So you started dating after that cheerleading practice?” Eunbi insisted on continuing the conversation, ignoring the food in front of her as she sipped her drink.

Nako shook her head as she swallowed a mouthful of curry. “Nah, she rejected me.”

Eunbi choked on her Sprite. Hyewon snickered as she patted Eunbi’s back. “Classic Hitomi. What happened?”

Blushing furiously now, Hitomi deliberately avoided Eunbi’s burning gaze as she explained how Nako started crushing on their cheerleading captain, Nayoung, after getting rejected. Hitomi thought nothing of it at first, but as Nako and Nayoung started spending more time with each other, Hitomi found herself getting quite annoyed any time she saw them having fun together. It wasn’t until she saw Nako kissing Nayoung that she realised she actually had feelings for Nako all this time.

“I was kissing her on the cheek,” Nako clarified, getting a tad intimidated by her older sister’s bemused glare. “It was just on the cheek, nothing too serious.” She turned to grin at Hitomi. “I didn’t know that was when the lightbulb went off in your head.”

Hitomi shrugged, picking at her food as she avoided Nako’s teasing stare. “At least you know now… six months later.”

“Anyway!” Hyewon cleared her throat loudly. “Can we eat now? I’m actually really hungry and we only have half an hour left before we have to go back.”

“But-” 

At Eunbi’s protest, Hyewon shook her head and shoved a slice of cheese katsu into her open mouth, effectively shutting her up. Hyewon looked very pleased with herself, ignoring Eunbi’s pointed glare as she stuffed herself full with meat and ramen. Hyewon pointed to the cutlet growing cold in front of Eunbi. Gesturing at herself, she mimed a cutting movement, then pointed at the cutlet again.

“Aw, she cut the cheese katsu for you!” Nako translated, wiggling her eyebrows at Hyewon. In return, Hyewon kicked her under the table, making her yelp.

Eunbi was surprised, but patted Hyewon’s hand and gave her a grateful smile before turning to the two girls sitting opposite them. “Alright, alright. Let’s eat, everyone!”

#

Returning only a few minutes late to the gym, Hitomi had to bid a temporary goodbye, swiftly pecking Nako on the forehead before she sprinted off to join the rest of her team. The three of them made their way back to their seats which thankfully had remained empty despite the packed hall. As they waited for the emcee to take his place, Eunbi ruffled Nako’s hair.

“I approve,” Eunbi said definitively. 

Nako instantly turned to her. “Really?”

“Of course!” Eunbi crossed her arms and pouted. “Do I really look like the kind of person who would immediately reject every person my younger sister decides to date?” When Nako and Hyewon hesitated, Eunbi waved her hands. “Don’t answer that.”

“What a relief.” Nako snuggled up to Eunbi, clinging onto one of her older sister’s arms. “I really didn’t know how you were going to react, you know.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually a scary person,” Eunbi deadpanned. “You’re old enough to make your own decisions, and I trust you.”

“Sure,” Hyewon drawled. “Says the person who got me, a random stranger, to go and talk to her younger sister working while she stood outside like a weird stalker.”

“What?” Nako jerked back and stared at Eunbi, confused.

“It’s nothing,” Eunbi crooned, pulling Nako back into her embrace. She shot Hyewon a warning look, to which the black-haired woman only smirked. Hyewon poked her with a finger and pointed towards the court, where the emcee was stepping up to the podium to announce the results. Straightening her back, Eunbi focused on the emcee - but not before huffing and elbowing Hyewon in her side.

Third place went to a small college on the outskirts of Seoul. Considering how their team had no official coach and they were essentially a ragtag bunch of students who just came together to have fun, Eunbi found them very impressive indeed. To Hyewon’s amusement, their team leader even pulled a bunch of dance moves with their small trophy.

“And first place goes to…” The emcee paused for effect; Eunbi could feel Nako’s entire body tense next to her. “Enozi! Congratulations!”

The entire crowd erupted into cheers, but no one was louder than Nako who immediately squealed like a dolphin as she leaped up in joy. Nayoung and Hitomi raised their trophy above their heads, soaking in the applause. Overcome with adrenaline, Nako clambered onto her chair before Eunbi could stop her. Taking a deep breath into her tiny body, she shouted at the top of her lungs: “Honda Hitomi, I love you!”

Looking up from where she stood on the gym floor, Hitomi grinned and quickly whispered into Nayoung’s ear. Her captain nodded and carried the trophy in her arms, nudging Hitomi forward. The blonde cheerleader dashed towards the bleachers, running up the steps to engulf Nako in an enthusiastic hug. Eunbi’s eyes bugged out when Hitomi hauled Nako off her feet and spun her around. Giggling, Nako leaned down and kissed Hitomi with a fervent passion, rousing even louder cheers and whistles from the crowd.

Eunbi awkwardly averted her eyes, choosing instead to look at Hyewon. Hyewon caught her gaze and laughed. “Young love, huh?”

“They don’t really have to do that in front of everyone, right?”

“You jealous or something?” 

“I mean, kind of? I still can’t believe Nako has a girlfriend while I stand here all single and lonely,” Eunbi whined, scuffing the ground with her shoe. Hyewon’s heart skipped a beat at her petulant face. Looking away, Hyewon casually wrapped her arm around Eunbi’s waist and pulled her closer. Eunbi jolted in surprise and gingerly touched the hand on her waist. “H-Hyewon?”

“You’ll never be lonely. Not when I’m with you.”


	13. Thirteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FREE FROM FINALS AT LAST YEEHAW

The last two weeks of August had always been a strange time to Eunbi. It was the time of year when warm summer winds started to cool into autumn breezes, when the tips of flourishing green leaves began to fade into yellowish parchment that crinkled, but were not quite ready to fall off their branches. It was when the particularly keen cafes and delicatessens would bust out their new lines of pumpkin-spiced whatever, and throngs of young people would flock to purchase some because it was the sort of thing that the youth would do.

But this mid-August Monday evening felt a little strange, as if the Earth had tilted a degree off its axis and no one noticed but her.

To be quite honest, Eunbi didn’t actually know what was wrong - if she could call it that. It was more odd, a bit more different that it was wrong, and she knew exactly who was the cause behind this strange shifting of the ground beneath her feet. Placing her pencil down on her sketchbook, she stared blankly at the paper in front of her, knowing it would be filled with sketches of the same generic model she always used when designing outfits.

Except it wasn’t, and she wasn’t really sure when that change happened either. Not when the sketchpad was filled with drawings of the same woman, the woman with her long hair the colour of midnight and dark eyes that would often twinkle with amusement, with a mole placed on the tip of her nose as if someone had carelessly flicked a brush and a drop of ink had found its way there. The woman who had, Eunbi came to notice, a set of full lips that would occasionally swell when she chewed on it too much from nervousness, with corners that would perk up into a smirk when their eyes met.

The fact that Eunbi managed to even note down these things, committing them to memory, was so uncommon that she had to take a rain check. She placed her palm on her forehead, but there was no fever. She wasn’t feeling sick or tired, so it wasn’t exhaustion either.

It was just that part-time model Kang Hyewon had managed to upturn her entire world in the span of a month, and Eunbi hadn’t the slightest idea how or why.

“Sian,” Eunbi called out, “can I ask you a question?”

“Sure!” Sian’s voice chirped. As she strode into the office, Eunbi closed her sketchbook and covered it with her arms, acting nonchalant. That was another strange thing; Eunbi never felt the need to hide her sketches from Sian, and yet. Pretending not to be affected by the unusual behaviour, Sian leaned against Eunbi’s table. “What’s up?”

“I think…” Eunbi took her time thinking of the words to say, but she could not find the words to express her inner turmoil. “I think there’s something wrong.”

Sian furrowed her brows and immediately placed her hand on Eunbi’s forehead. Eunbi shook her head and chuckled. “No, not sick. It’s just that, I have this friend.”

_ Ah,  _ Sian thought.  _ The age-old ‘friend’ rhetoric _ . “And what’s up with this friend of yours?”

“Well, they’re single, right? Everything’s been going fine until they met this other person. And for some reason, whenever they see this person or are in close proximity to this person, they feel… strange. And they just can’t get this person out of their head. When they’re doing something, all they can think about is how pretty this person is, or when’s the next time they’re going to meet, or whether this person has the same fire burning in her heart and butterflies swooping around in her stomach whenever they even brush against each other… or whether she’ll still want to stick around after this is all well and done.”

Eunbi dropped her head in her hands and started to massage her temples. “It’s all so weird, you know? I’ve never felt like this before - not since the time I ate way too much candy all at once - and I just don’t know what to make of it.”

Sian didn’t miss the slip-up, but neither did she point it out. She just scooted over to the other side of the table and wrapped Eunbi in a soothing hug. “I guess you don’t always have to find reasons behind certain emotions. Sometimes you just have to let them happen.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Eunbi detached herself from Sian to face her. “Do you know what it is, though? This feeling?”

Sian hesitated; the question, the way it was asked with that soft tone of voice like a confused child asking after something, and those eyes, still somehow innocent and naive in certain matters after more than two decades of living, made her want to answer honestly; that yes, she knew exactly what it was, having arriving at work with that very same feeling surging in her chest everyday. In that moment she felt like a pot bubbling over, and gods! How she desperately wanted to confess the inner depths of her heart, and yet-   
  


“Sian?”

It took her great restraint to shake her head and plaster a smile on her face. “No,” Sian replied, her tone biting. “I don’t think I’m quite familiar with that sort of feeling.”

Taking it at face value, Eunbi pouted and spun around in her office chair. Then she brightened. “I know!” she exclaimed. “I’ll ask Nako later when I get home. She’s a genius, she should know what this is.”

Sian’s expression softened at the mention of Nako. “How’s she doing, by the way?”

Eunbi raised her eyebrows. “Why are you suddenly so interested in Nako? She has a girlfriend, you know.”

Sian lifted her hands in mock surrender as she backed away. “Hey, nothing of that sort. I was just wondering, you know, since the last time I saw her was when she dropped by with snacks that one time. But wow! A girlfriend, huh,” she mused. “Kids these days grow up so fast.”

“Tell me about it! I haven’t even dated anyone yet, and I’m her older sister!” Eunbi lamented, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Do you maybe want to date someone, then?” Sian kept her tone light, curious as she was.

Eunbi considered her options as she started to pack her things away. “I’ve never really thought about it before, what with setting up the business and taking care of Nako, but now… maybe?”

“Anyone in mind?”

The first image that popped into Eunbi’s head was a pair of warm hands holding onto her own, long fingers brushing against her cheeks. She blinked; where did that come from? Eunbi quickly shook her head. “Not really, no.”

It was a lie, and they both knew it.

Later that night, Nako would curl up next to Eunbi as they watched a rerun of their favourite drama in bed, although Nako was the only one even partly invested in it. Eunbi’s mind was somewhere else completely. She would be thinking about the sketches in her notebook, of half-lidded eyes and parted lips, of arms casually slung over shoulders and hands holding waists. 

Nako suddenly gasped and squirmed next to Eunbi. “It’s this part! You know, when the girl confesses her feelings for her boss!” As the characters on-screen began to speak, Eunbi focused on their every word, finding herself being able to relate to the emotions behind the confession. It was as if the character confessing knew exactly what Eunbi was feeling around Hyewon this entire time.

She leaned forward, mesmerised. Alongside the character, Eunbi mouthed: “I think I love you.”


	14. Fourteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrote this on my phone on a plane yeet

The following week was the most inappropriate time to mull over matters of the heart, and yet Eunbi could find no better time to do so. It was unavoidable, really, considering how it was the week leading up to the fashion show, which meant that the models would be filtering in and out of the office at odd hours. Naturally, this meant she would be seeing Hyewon a lot; and naturally, Eunbi could not get her mind off the foreign concept of her potentially liking Hyewon.

This, of course, meant that she started to act extremely strangely around the model, who was no doubt absolutely bewildered by the sudden change of behaviour.

It was even worse when Eunbi started to make rookie mistakes in her work, such as her spacing out one day during a final fitting, resulting in her poking Hyewon in the side with a very sharp needle. “Eunbi!” Hyewon yelped, twisting away from the offending object.

Eunbi blinked and shook her head. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Hyewon gingerly rubbed her side. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. It was more surprising than painful.” She frowned down at Eunbi. “Are _you_ okay?”

“Of course, why do you ask?”

Hyewon tapped a finger on her chin in thought. “Well, for starts, I’ve noticed you staring blankly at nothing at random times, sometimes with really strange expressions on your face. Half the time you don’t respond to questions, or even just stop a sentence halfway through without any explanation. And,” she pointed at the needle in Eunbi’s hand, “you literally just poked me. With a needle. This is literally the first time you’ve done that in the history of ever.”

Eunbi’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Sounds like you’ve been paying a lot of attention to me.”

“Maybe I have,” Hyewon said dryly, but her face softened into a look that melted Eunbi’s heart like butter in a microwave, with heat suddenly coursing through her veins and gracing the tips of her ears. “Are you very sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. Just, you know…” Eunbi trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Is the stress of the fashion show getting to you?”

Eunbi scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Then?” Hyewon’s fingers absentmindedly plucking the needle out of Eunbi’s hand and placing it on top of a spool of thread. “What’s going through that talented mind of yours?” she asked, brushing away loose locks away from Eunbi’s face.

Was it even a surprise that Eunbi’s brain immediately short-circuited at Hyewon’s touch? Her entire being froze, her hand hovering mid-air, reaching for something already forgotten. She stammered and stuttered, eyes darting everywhere in avoidance of Hyewon’s gaze. “I need to use the washroom!” she blurted, quickly getting to her feet and knocking her chair back. As she rushed out of the room, she passed an entering Sian, leaving her personal assistant and the model to exchange quizzical glances.

Taking refuge in the washroom, Eunbi splashed some water on her face. “What’s gotten into you, Eunbi?” she wondered, staring at herself in the mirror. Even the slightest touch of Hyewon’s, the less-than-a-millisecond graze of skin against skin, was enough to get her heart leaping out of her chest and into her throat.

It was the first time Eunbi had absolutely no sense of control over herself, and it terrified her. But it was exciting too, she had to admit, finally understanding the giddy daze her old school and college friends were always whispering about. She understood now their sneaky glances, the way they would stumble over their words when attempting to hold a conversation for ten seconds with their crushes, the heady giggles at gentle touches.

Weird, Eunbi thought. Weird, but in the best of ways.

Just like a certain Kang Hyewon, she thought too, and laughed like a loon at herself.

#

Back in the fitting room, Hyewon and Sian fixed each other with wary stares. "So, what happened?" Sian queried, still bemused. 

"She poked me with a needle." 

"For real?" Sian's eyes widened. "That's never happened." 

"Right?" Hyewon glanced at the door before shuffling over to whisper to Sian. "Is she having any problems? Like, at home, or regarding work, or anything."

"Not that I know of." Sian quirked an eyebrow up. "You're awfully curious about her affairs."

"Like I said before, she matters to me… In a way that's more than just friendship. You should be more than familiar with that sort of feeling." Hyewon inclined her head towards Sian, a knowing look in her eyes. 

"So what if I am?" Sian asked defensively. 

When did the atmosphere turn this tense? It was always like this, Hyewon realised, when she and Sian were left to their own devices. Without Eunbi as their mediator, the careful balance they struck up easily tipped over. Not that Hyewon would let that bother her. She didn't come here to fight, but… 

She spied Eunbi walking out of the bathroom, and gave Sian her most determined gaze. "I won't give up what I feel for her," Hyewon declared, an air of finality to her words. 

Some people, Hyewon knew, were worth fighting for. 

#

She might have sounded brave at the moment, but as the fashion show drew closer and closer, Hyewon had begun to doubt herself again. There was absolutely nothing to worry about, according to Eunbi - the outfits were gorgeous, the stage settings were perfected, and Hyewon had even managed to gather the courage to take multiple walks down the runway. The last one admittedly could only happen with Eunbi’s persistent encouragement, and they had walked up and down the long platform with Eunbi holding her elbow to direct and support her. 

Everything was going so well - a bit too well, in fact. So it should have come as no surprise that Hyewon suddenly vanished from the dressing room hours before the show. 

"Where did she go?" Eunbi asked as she dashed around, Sian hot on her heels. "All the others are already getting ready, so where did Hyewon go?" 

"I'm trying to call her phone, but she's not picking up."

"Crap. Well, okay." They arrived at a split in the corridor within the building. Eunbi directed Sian to the right. "You go that way, I'll go this way. If either of us finds her, we call the other immediately." Sian nodded. Both women made their way down the halls, opening every door they found and peeking into every room possible. 

Striding past rooms in a harried rush, Eunbi nearly missed the sound of someone sobbing. Her feet grinding to a halt, she stood in the middle of the corridor, attuning her ears to the sound. She traced it to its source, hidden behind a door marked 'Janitor'. Pressing her ear against the wooden door, she could make out quiet hiccups and sniffles on the other side. 

"Hyewon?" 


	15. Fifteen.

Eunbi pressed herself against the janitor closet's door, listening to the sobs emitting from the closet and hoping to all the gods that her gut feeling was wrong. She jiggled the door handle, but it was locked. 

"Hyewon," she tried. "Is that you?" 

The sniffles subsided. "No," Hyewon's weak voice replied. 

"The show’s going to start in a few hours, Hyewon."

"I c-can't do it, Eunbi, I really c-can't," Hyewon hiccuped. "Please, I can't."

"...Can you at least open the door?" Eunbi asked softly. 

A brief pause, and then a click. Eunbi pulled the door open to darkness. Inside, Hyewon was sat next to a mop and bucket, her head buried between her knees. She was shivering, Eunbi noted, though not out of cold. The sight of the woman she loved, hiding away from the world, hiding away from her as she struggled to contain herself, broke Eunbi’s heart. 

Closing the door behind her, Eunbi crouched down and took Hyewon's trembling body into her arms. She patted Hyewon’s back, soothing, whispering calming words like lullabies. How she wished she could erase all of Hyewon's fears and insecurities. How she wanted to make Hyewon see that she was gloriously beautiful, that she deserved the whole world and so much more.

Her shoulder was wet from Hyewon’s tears, but it was the least of her worries. She felt Hyewon take a shuddering breath as the model finally relaxed in Eunbi’s arms. Pulling back a little, Eunbi wiped at Hyewon’s tears with her thumb. “Feeling better?”

Hyewon nodded, wiping at her runny nose with the back of her hand. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologise for what you can’t control, Hyewon,” Eunbi rebuked gently. “If you really can’t do the walk, I’ll ask another model to cover for you.”

Gazing into Eunbi’s worried eyes, Hyewon’s breath hitched, words failing under her tongue. How lucky she was to have Eunbi, with her eyes full of understanding and with none of the pity Hyewon was so used to seeing during one of her panic attacks. Eunbi, who no doubt spent sleepless nights on this fashion show, making sure everything went exactly right, and yet still unhesitatingly tossing all that aside at the sight of a vulnerable Hyewon.

She didn’t deserve Eunbi, and most certainly did not have any right to love her.

Shaking her head, Hyewon struggled to her feet. “It’s alright,” she whispered. “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” Eunbi held onto her arms, steadying her, giving her the energy and reassurance Hyewon so desperately needed right now.

Hyewon gave her a small smile. “I’m sure.” She made to move out of the janitor’s closet, but Eunbi tugged her back into an embrace. Hyewon’s arms naturally flew to Eunbi’s waist as they leaned on each other. Eunbi’s chin nestled perfectly on her shoulder. Closing her eyes, Hyewon brushed her lips against Eunbi’s temple, breathing in her scent, living in her warmth.

When Eunbi pulled away, Hyewon was still holding onto Eunbi’s waist, hesitant to let go. Sensing her reluctance to part, Eunbi smiled and placed her hands on Hyewon’s cheeks, cupping her beautiful face in her hands. Her thumbs drew small circles on Hyewon’s skin, eyes soft with unspoken emotion.

Perhaps, somewhere in the back of their minds, in another time, they would have been more aware of how close their faces were to each other, their noses almost touching. But right now, in this moment, it was just right, with fingers on cheeks and hands on waists. Eunbi’s gaze drifted to Hyewon’s lips, and without even realising it she began to close the distance.

That was, until her phone rang, instantly ruining the mood. Huffing, Eunbi reached down and plucked her phone out. “It’s Sian,” she muttered, slightly miffed.

Hyewon smirked. “She must be wondering where we are.”

“Yeah, probably.” One glance at the time was enough of an explanation. “Ah, crap. We needed to get ready half an hour ago.”

“Oops.” Equally silly grins formed on their faces as they started to chuckle. “We’re really so bad at this timing thing, aren’t we?” Hyewon asked between gasps of laughter.

Eunbi elbowed Hyewon in her side. “It’s because you’re such a bad influence, that’s why.”

“And yet here you are anyway, standing with me in this little closet.”

Sobering for a moment, Eunbi took Hyewon’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “I’ll always be with you. So don’t worry about anything. Go out there and show them what you’re made of.” Her words were drenched in sincerity, tinged with patient love. “And if you trip and fall, I’ll always be here to catch you.”

#

As Hyewon stood backstage in her first outfit of the night, she replayed Eunbi’s words over and over in her head. “I’ll always be here to catch you,” she whispered. Such simple words, but they meant the world to her. And what was that, just before? Holding each other in a darkened closet, faces barely inches apart… Hyewon’s fingers fluttered to her lips as she remembered the subtle tilt of Eunbi’s head and the gaze that flickered between her eyes and her lips. 

Had she been hallucinating then, or was it real? Was Eunbi really about to...

“Hyewon, you’re up!” 

Jolting up, Hyewon straightened her back. “I’ll always be here to catch you,” she muttered again, calling up the image of Eunbi's kind smile in her mind. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out to blinding lights.


	16. Sixteen.

“You! Were! Amazing out there!” It wasn’t the first compliment Hyewon received during the afterparty tonight, nor would it be the last. Every person that bumped into her, whether they knew her personally or not, somehow remembered her from the fashion show hours ago, and would pause to shout a compliment to her face before slinking off for more champagne. Hyewon herself was sober; she knew drunk people often did things they would regret later, and she wasn’t too keen on slipping and exposing her weirder side to strangers.

Hyewon glanced around the large ballroom that hosted the show afterparty in search for Eunbi. The shorter woman was nowhere near her, although she did spy a large crowd accumulating at the other end of the room. Eunbi must be at the eye of the storm, what with her being the protagonist of the event after all. 

She started to make her way to the other side of the room, nimbly avoiding the glasses of liquor shoved her way. It was a difficult task, mostly because of the damn heels she was stuck in, but she eventually made it halfway before getting distracted by the expansive buffet laid across a whole row of tables. Beelining there instead, Hyewon picked up a plate and loaded it with every type of food in sight. 

She shuffled off to a corner while precariously balancing her mountain of food in her hand. Surrounded by gorgeous models and actresses and singers, downing champagne as if it was water, eating things like lobster and caviar as casual snacks - everything was so out of Hyewon’s league. Munching into a shrimp cocktail, she wondered whether Eunbi was used to dining and partying like this. 

“Eunbi!” A loud exclamation brought her attention to one end of the large ballroom, a voice that sounded very much like Sian’s. Placing her plate down, Hyewon slunk over through the crowd towards the source of the commotion. Taking her heels as an advantage to peek over heads, she spied Sian in Eunbi’s arms. From her reddened face, she assumed Sian was well drunk.

Eunbi herself was slightly tipsy, swaying under Sian’s weight. Both had glasses of wine in their hands as they giggled and mumbled incomprehensibly under their breaths. Laughing at something someone said, Eunbi’s gaze darted around before landing on Hyewon.

“Hey, girl,” Eunbi crooned, winking. Detaching herself from a dazed Sian, she reached a hand out to pull Hyewon in, but stumbled and fell into Hyewon’s arms. “Oops. Looks like I fell for you, gorgeous.”

Hyewon chuckled at Eunbi’s cheesy line, noting the older woman’s flushed cheeks. “You’re drunk, Eunbi, you must’ve had too much wine.”

“Am I?” Eunbi set aside her wine to throw her arms around Hyewon’s neck as she moved to a tune only she could hear. “Or am I just drunk on love?” 

How was it that Hyewon was the only sober one here? She wrapped a firm arm around Eunbi’s waist and brushed a few strands of hair away from Eunbi’s face. “I think it’s time we go home, alright?”

“No!” Sian exclaimed, latching onto Hyewon. “We’re all going to stay here and have fun!” Eunbi nodded along, her face drawn into a pout that made Hyewon go weak at the knees. It took all of Hyewon’s control to resist.

“No, we’re all going home,” Hyewon insisted, wrapping her other arm Sian’s shoulder to support her. Together as three, they marched towards the exit. “Where do you live, Sian? I’ll call a cab for you.”

“Oh, somewhere or other,” Sian waved her hand and nearly smacked another partygoer in the face. 

Rolling her eyes, Eunbi tiptoed to whisper Sian’s address into Hyewon’s ear and sent her a conspiratorial wink. “That way, we’ll be alone together,” Eunbi hinted, puckering her lips and wiggling her eyebrows.

_ Oh god _ , Hyewon thought to herself,  _ please give me the strength to survive a drunk Eunbi _ .

After dumping Sian into a cab and making her promise to call when she arrived home - whether Sian would actually remember these instructions was entirely unknown, considering her inebriated state - Hyewon hauled Eunbi up into another taxi and slid in behind her. She gave the driver Eunbi’s address before leaning back and closing her eyes, trying her best to ignore a babbling and very touchy Eunbi next to her.

This sure was one hell of a day.

#

The next struggle was convincing Eunbi to get out of the taxi and into her apartment. Somehow, along the way, Eunbi had made good friends with the driver, and it was extremely difficult to get her to end her enthusiastic and lengthy lecture about how to piece accessories with cheap clothes to improve their overall appearance - or something like that. Hyewon had given in to sleep for five minutes and had completely lost the plot.

Hyewon removed both their shoes before they staggered into Eunbi’s apartment. “Nako?” she tried.

“Nako’s not home,” Eunbi slurred. “She’s staying over at Hii-chan’s place tonight. Which means…” She trailed off as her fingers danced up Hyewon’s arm.

_ Oh, god. _

“Let’s get you into bed, then,” Hyewon muttered, beelining for Eunbi’s bedroom. Placing Eunbi as gently as she could on the bed, Hyewon darted out before Eunbi could make any more suggestive quips. Hyewon leaned against the kitchen counter, her breath coming out in quick huffs. She placed a hand over her heart beating erratically, feeling the tips of her ears heating up as she thought back to all the flirtatious things Eunbi was mumbling before.

Who knew drunk Eunbi could be this dangerous?

Hyewon decided to hang about in the kitchen for a while more to steady herself. Digging through cupboards, she found some painkillers. She also filled up a mug with some water. Then, taking a deep breath, she dove back into the fray.

Placing the painkillers and water on Eunbi’s bedside table, she turned to Eunbi to check on her. Her eyes goggled when she realised that Eunbi had managed to half-unbutton her top before falling asleep, leaving her cleavage exposed for Hyewon to see. Her shirt was also riding up on her stomach, showcasing an impressive set of abs.

Hyewon was once again reminded of self-control.

Shutting her eyes - for Hyewon was afraid she might go mad if she continued to stare at Eunbi’s exposed body - she blindly reached for the blanket to tuck Eunbi in. As she laid the blanket over Eunbi, a pair of arms shot out and grabbed either side of Hyewon’s face. Hyewon felt herself being yanked down just a moment before she felt a warm breath against her lips.

Hyewon’s eyes flew open and her lips parted in a sharp inhale seconds before Eunbi pulled her into a kiss.


	17. Seventeen.

Harsh sunlight streamed through Eunbi’s bedroom window and burned through her eyelids. Grunting, she flopped over in bed, tumbled down onto the hard floor, and bumped her head. She let out a creative stream of expletives before opening her eyes to check for damage. Everything seemed alright except for the awful pounding in her head.

“This is why you don’t go to parties, Eunbi,” she muttered to herself as she massaged her temples. She heaved herself up to a standing position, swaying in place. Through her squinted eyes she spied some painkillers and water on her bedside table, and quickly gulped them both down, trying to wash away the sour taste lingering in the back of her mouth. She then shuffled towards her bathroom in hopes that a cold shower would make her feel better.

It didn’t, not really.

Her wet hair wrapped in a towel, Eunbi stepped out from her bedroom in a tank top and some loose shorts. She poked her head into Nako's room before remembering that her younger sister was staying over at Hitomi's place. 

Oh well. Guess that meant she had the whole apartment to herself then. Not too displeased - Nako would not be happy to see her hungover and Eunbi was fine with not incurring the small girl's wrath - she strode into the living room, fluffing at wet hair. 

And came face-to-face with a surprised Hyewon. 

"Hyewon?" Eunbi jolted back, slapping a hand over her heart in shock. "Why… why are you here?" 

"Oh my god I um I don't I really should get out of your way haha-" A bunch of incoherent words spilled from Hyewon's mouth as she attempted to avoid Eunbi's gaze. Confused, Eunbi leaned in, noting how progressively redder Hyewon's face was getting. 

"Is there something wrong?" 

Hyewon gulped and tried her best not to look down at Eunbi's chest that was currently pressing on her. "Haha, nope, not at all. Uh, how are you feeling?" 

Eunbi groaned; to Hyewon, even that noise made her imagine something that she most definitely was not supposed to be imagining. _Get it together, you pervert_ , Hyewon internally berated herself. 

"Everything hurts," Eunbi complained, her lips drawn into a pout. Mollified, Hyewon grabbed Eunbi’s elbow and steered her towards a chair in the kitchen area. From under a food cover Hyewon took out a bowl full of steaming-hot soup. As she placed it in front of Eunbi, Eunbi could see cabbage, an assortment of other vegetables, and some beef swimming in the broth.

_Hangover soup_ , Eunbi realised. Taking the spoon Hyewon held out, she gently pushed the spoon into the soup, watching thick white broth swirl into the utensil. The scent of fragrant herbs permeated through the air. Taking a sip of the soup, she hummed in ecstasy at the fragrant beef flavour and the hints of sesame sprinkled throughout. It tasted exactly like the soup her mother always prepared on wintry days. She poked the meat; it fell apart at her touch, tender and melting like butter in her mouth.

Hyewon grinned at the soft smile on Eunbi’s face. “Nice?”

“It’s perfect,” Eunbi breathed. “Did you get it delivered?”

Hyewon shook her head. “The best ox-bone soup shop I know doesn’t deliver. I went out while you were sleeping to get some. Thought you might need it, considering how much you drank last night and all.”

“I drank one glass of wine.”

“One-” Sitting across the table, Hyewon narrowed her eyes at Eunbi. “You can’t be serious.”

“My alcohol tolerance is non-existent.” Eunbi gave her a sheepish smile. “I was a bit reckless last night. Do you know how I got home?”

“Ma’am, I brought you home,” Hyewon deadpanned. “Did you just forget everything once you got drunk?”

Eunbi tapped her chin in thought. “Honestly, yeah.”

“Oh.”

Hyewon wondered whether she looked a bit too disappointed when Eunbi next asked: “Why, did something happen?”

“N-nope. Not at all.” Hyewon glanced at Eunbi’s lips. They were so soft and smooth, she remembered, sweet like last night’s wine, and Hyewon felt as if she could get drunk off the taste of them. Gulping, she desperately waved those thoughts away. She decided it was too dangerous to stay in Eunbi’s presence. “Haha well look at the time I should really be going bye!”

“Wait, Hyewon-”

Hyewon was already flying towards the door. Yanking it open, she nearly crashed into a bemused Nako who was just about to input their house password. Hitomi, standing behind Nako, caught her girlfriend before she fell down. They both stared in surprise at Hyewon as she ran as fast as she could away from the apartment. 

“What was that all about?” Hitomi muttered.

#

After the fashion show, the name ‘Woolimz’ spread like wildfire, and less than a week later Eunbi's office started to host a number of high-flying clients. Many of them requested personalised, one-of-a-kind outfits and accessories, and were more than willing to pay for them. 

This meant that Eunbi was always swamped with work. Every morning, she and Sian would get to the office and settle down for a long day. They’d have meals together, although sometimes they wouldn’t even have the time for a meal. At night, trudging home, Eunbi would collapse face-first into bed, exhausted from work.

So on the rare day that they didn’t have visiting customers, Eunbi demanded that she and Sian hold a mini-buffet in the meeting room, just for the two of them. After stretching their stomachs to maximum size, they settled down to clear up backlogged work from previous days. Sian was working on her laptop, responding to emails. Eunbi, seated in a swivel chair, had tucked her feet up to rest on the seat, her chin on her knees as she doodled in her sketchbook.

But for some reason, she just couldn’t focus. She started tapping on her sketchbook, tapping out a steady rhythm. The image of Hyewon’s face popped into her head. Her pencil began to move erratically, making beats that ebbed and flowed, sped up and slowed. Sian glanced up from her laptop.

“Alright, something’s bothering you. What’s up?”

“Sian.” Eunbi fidgeted in her seat, then, sighing, placed her notebook and pencil on the table. She leaned forward, biting her lip - a tell-tale sign of nervousness. 

Sian leaned forward in turn. “Yes?”

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Eunbi said: “I kissed Hyewon.”


	18. Eighteen.

Nako and Hitomi sat side-by-side on Hitomi’s bed, fighting the urge to cuddle. Hitomi’s fingers danced on Nako’s thigh, but they were slapped away by Nako. “Not now,” Nako hissed. She pointed at their guest who was curled up in a fetal position in front of them, long black hair fanned out on the mattress as she nibbled on her nails.

Hitomi sighed. “Hyewon, we can’t actually help you if you don’t tell us what’s wrong.”

Hyewon rolled over and groaned. Hitomi grabbed a pillow and smacked Hyewon in the head. “Ow, what was that for?” Hyewon turned back and rubbed her sore head.

“You’re cutting in on our cuddle time and if you’re not going to spit it out in two minutes, I’m going to throw you out,” Hitomi growled. She wasn’t annoyed with Hyewon, not really, but had hoped that the tone of voice would at least force something out of the sulking woman.

What she didn’t expect was for Hyewon to launch herself at Hitomi and Nako, wrapping arms around their necks and tackling them down. Nako immediately grabbed Hyewon’s arm and wrestled her away. She threw Hyewon off the bed; then, getting to her feet, stabbed a finger at Hyewon while glaring down at her. “No choking Hii-chan! Only I can do that.”

“What?” Hyewon asked, frowning.

“What?” Hitomi floundered about before pulling Nako down and covering her mouth with a hand. “Oh my god babe shut up,” she hissed.

“Hitomi, I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.” The normal, teasing Hyewon was back, rising from the floor and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at the flushed blonde. “Nako, damn. Good on you.” 

Wriggling under Hitomi, Nako stretched her hand out towards Hyewon. To the blonde girl’s chagrin, they high-fived each other and gave her equally cheeky winks. Hitomi huffed, the tips of her ears completely red. She nudged a cackling Hyewon back to the floor before leaning down to shut her laughing girlfriend up with a kiss.

“She kissed me!” Hyewon blurted. 

The young couple broke off their kiss to look at Hyewon. “What?”

“Kwon Eunbi kissed me.”

Jolting up from the bed, Nako pushed Hitomi away to gape at Hyewon. “I’m sorry, Kwon Eunbi did _what_?”

#

Sian was frozen in her seat. She must have been hallucinating. No way did she hear that. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Can you… can you repeat that?”

“I kissed Kang Hyewon that night after the fashion show.”

Ah, so she did hear it right, though how Sian wished she didn’t. So she did what she did best. She put on her best professional smile and, sitting straight in her chair, spoke in the calmest voice she could muster, the voice reserved for unfriendly clients and awkward blind dates. “Please explain.”

Eunbi flailed around in her seat before hiding behind her sketchbook. “I don’t know, I… Both you and I were drunk that night, right? And she brought me home and I just remember opening my eyes and she was about to leave but I couldn’t let her so I kissed her.”

Sian nodded, slowly taking this all in, trying to pretend that sitting here and listening to Eunbi wasn’t breaking her heart. “But you were drunk. It could’ve been the influence of alcohol,” Sian tried to reason it out.

“It could have been,” Eunbi agreed. “But it wasn’t. I might not remember much from that night, but that was the one moment I knew I had complete control over myself. I saw Hyewon in front of me, and I knew she was leaving. And, oh! Sian, I really wanted to do it, and I did.”

#

“What happened after that?” Hitomi eagerly asked, patting her girlfriend’s head. Nako was sat in Hitomi's lap, still slightly shell-shocked. Her sister, who always took on too much work for her own good and had no time to think about anything else, took the initiative and kissed someone? And not just any someone, but Kang Hyewon? 

"She was drunk and in bed, so…" 

Nako fixed Hyewon with a fierce stare. "So?" 

"So I went to sleep on the couch outside, duh. I'm not going to take advantage of your drunk sister, who do you think I am?" Nako breathed a sigh of relief at the reply. Hyewon continued, "And then in the morning I went out to get her some hangover soup from that place near Gwangjang Market."

"That's across the city, Hyewon, holy shit." Hitomi gasped. 

"Yeah, but it's the best one in Seoul, so." Hyewon said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if travelling from one end of the city to the other just to procure hangover soup was something that a part-time employee would normally do for their employer. Hitomi swooned at the romantic action and hugged the stunned Nako in her lap.

Nako stared at Hyewon, sensing nothing from her but honesty and love. “You like her.”

#

It was more of a statement than a question. Somewhere along the way, Sian already knew it, a fact kept in the back of her mind that she didn’t want to acknowledge. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, but still kept hope in her heart that maybe someday she’d turn the tides. Not any more. 

“You like her,” Sian repeated.

“I love her.” A soft smile spread across Eunbi’s face. It hurt Sian’s heart. 

“Have you told her?”

Eunbi shook her head, her cheeks and ears red. “I don’t know how to. I mean, what if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

Sian laughed, a harsh barking sound that made Eunbi flinch. “I don’t think you need to worry about that at all.”

#

Later, after Eunbi had left for home, Sian sat alone at her desk. The office was dark save for the lone light shining from her laptop. Her hands wavered on the keyboard as she pressed, slowly, key by key, typing out the beginnings of a resignation letter.

No, she thought. Eunbi didn’t deserve this, losing a valuable partner over silly things like matters of the heart. No one knew Eunbi like she did, no one else understood Eunbi’s work the way she did. Hyewon may have held the key to Eunbi’s heart, but only Sian knew the workings of her mind. 

Sian hurriedly deleted the words she had typed out. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and sighed. She could feel the tears brimming up behind her eyelids.

The indomitable Lee Sian, bested by the organ beating in her chest. It was so stupid, so fucking stupid. She hated herself for it, for having this weakness, and let out a weak sob. Burying her face in her hands, Sian opened the floodgates and cried her heart out in the darkness.

#

The next day, Eunbi fidgeted in her seat, uncharacteristically nervous. Hyewon had texted her in the morning with a simple message: "We need to talk." It was followed by a time and place. 

This sort of directness was not common for Hyewon. She always started her message with a greeting or emoji - or if she was feeling particularly cheeky, some copy/pasted ASCII art - and so this coldness discomfited Eunbi, to say the least. Eunbi ended up arriving at their agreed meeting place, a dessert cafe, half an hour early. Every so often she’d glance around, wondering when Hyewon would turn up.

She was drinking her cup of tea when she felt a presence near her. Eunbi looked up, prepared to tell the waitress that yes, she was still waiting for her friend to arrive. But instead of a waitress, Hyewon stared down at her, an unreadable look in her eyes.

“Hey,” Hyewon said.

“You’re here!” Eunbi wondered whether her excitement at seeing Hyewon was too obvious when the corners of Hyewon’s lips tugged up in a small smile. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“Yeah.” Hyewon placed the plate she was holding onto the table. She slid into the seat opposite Eunbi’s and took out two forks. “Here, I ordered some ricotta cheesecake for us.”

“Yay, thanks!” Suddenly ravenous, Eunbi dug into the cheesecake with vigour. She realised Hyewon was very unlike herself, however, picking at the cake until it turned into crumbs on the plate. Concerned, Eunbi put her fork down and took Hyewon’s hand. “Hey, you okay?”

“Eunbi, there’s something I’ve been putting off telling you.”

“I…” Eunbi audibly gulped. Could this be the moment she was waiting for, when they would finally talk about that night? Would she have to confess, would Hyewon reject her feelings? “I need to tell you something too.”

Hyewon gave her a soft smile, but Eunbi could feel a deep sadness behind it. That only made her more uneasy, and she steeled herself for the inevitable. “Should we say it together?” Hyewon asked. 

Eunbi shook her head. “No, you go first.”

“No, you.”

“No, you.” Eunbi pointed a finger at Hyewon. “I’m older, so whatever I say goes. You go first-”

“Eunbi, I’m leaving Korea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey if this chapter ending makes you flip your table then come flip my table (is that a euphemism i hope not) at [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/ashensprites) or [ my new curiouscat thing ](https://curiouscat.me/ashensprites)


	19. Nineteen.

She must be dreaming, except it was the sort of dream that ripped apart your insides and left you hollow. A nightmare, that was it. She must be having a nightmare right now, because why else would Eunbi be hearing these words? In her shocked state, she heard Hyewon’s faint voice in the distance. 

“I’ve been scouted by a fashion brand, and they want me to move to the U.S. for half a year,” Hyewon was saying. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have this opportunity. I thought I should tell you before I leave.”

“When are you leaving?” Eunbi heard herself ask.

Hyewon hesitated to answer. She averted her gaze. “Tonight,” she mumbled.

Eunbi immediately got to her feet; the sudden action nearly upended the table. “T-tonight? What do you mean, tonight?”

“The flight is in two hours, and there’s a cab with my bags in it waiting outside. I just…” Hyewon reached out to hold Eunbi’s hands, her eyes beseeching. “I just wanted to see you one more time before I leave.”

“Have you told the others?”

Hyewon nodded. "I texted everyone else, but I thought I should tell you in person."

Eunbi’s brows tilted down as she fought back the whirlpool of emotions that brewed in her chest. “But why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hyewon’s eyes softened. She brought Eunbi’s hands closer to her lips, brushing a light kiss across Eunbi’s knuckles. Eunbi’s heart leaped into her throat, her mouth agape as her face grew hot. A shameless grin spread across Hyewon’s face; she was clearly enjoying the effect she had on Eunbi. “It’s because I like you.”

“You say that with so much confidence, like you think I like you or something,” Eunbi spluttered. She immediately regretted her words, but Hyewon only laughed.

“Who’s to say? After all, that night, after the fashion show… You might not remember, but you were the one who kissed me, not the other way round.” Hyewon shrugged. “Although that could have just been the wine.”

“It wasn’t the wine!”

“Ah, so you do remember.” Hyewon raised her eyebrows. “Do you like me, then?”

If Eunbi could spontaneously combust then and there, she would gladly do so. It would at least save her from the embarrassment she was feeling right now. It also didn’t help that Hyewon was still holding tight onto her hands, onto palms that Eunbi swore were getting very sweaty. Eunbi hemmed and hawed, struggling to formulate the words needed to express the fire burning in her chest.

Hyewon sighed and stood up. “Well, it doesn’t matter whether you like me or not. It won’t change my feelings for you. Just thought you should know, that’s all.” She let go of Eunbi’s hands and stuffed her own into the pockets of her jeans. “I should go. Don’t want to miss my plane.”

Hyewon turned and headed for the cafe door. Disappointment weighed heavily on her shoulders and made them sag. Pushing the door open, she stepped out into the cool August air and slid into the backseat of her waiting taxi.

“Wait!” Eunbi ran out of the cafe and slammed her hands on the window of the taxi. She tapped on Hyewon’s window and rotated her hand mid-air, a winding-down gesture. Amused, Hyewon complied and smirked at Eunbi.

“You know cars nowadays don’t actually have that crank to wind down windows, right?”

“I know I’m old, shut up,” Eunbi huffed. Taking a deep breath, she uttered the words she knew she had to say, the sentiments that always twisted her stomach into knots and made her incapable of logical thought. “I like you too.”

The smile Hyewon gave her was breathtaking, and it spurred Eunbi to continue on. “So I’ll wait for you to come back. Go and kick ass there, and come back to me, because I’ll be here waiting for you.”

Hyewon stuck out her little finger. “Promise?”

Eunbi wrapped her own little finger around Hyewon’s finger and nodded. “Promise.”

#

Romance was a tricky game to play, a delicate dance to follow, a special type of music that ebbed and receded like waves along the beach. All matters of the heart were. Now that Eunbi and Hyewon were in completely different time zones, it was very difficult to find a good time to hold a long conversation.

As they both grew busier and busier, their messages were soon limited to casual conversations about the weather, and even that was reduced to simple good mornings and good nights. 

Soon enough, even that came to an end.

But Hyewon never left Eunbi’s mind, no matter how engaged she was at work. The raven-haired woman with striking features and clever grin was always there, lingering. She permeated Eunbi’s dreams, turning nightmares into beautiful dreams, turning good dreams into… Well, Eunbi’s not at liberty to say. She’d sneak into Eunbi’s sketchbooks, finding her way into the Instagram posts run by fashion brands that Eunbi followed.

And every time Eunbi saw her, whether in a photograph or in her dream, another spark would ignite in Eunbi’s heart, keeping it warm and light.

A month passed in the blink of an eye - that’s what Eunbi would have wanted to say anyway. In truth, every day felt as long as a millennium, time crawling by on a tortoise. If she didn't have work occupying her waking hours, Eunbi would definitely grow crazy. 

“Why not just book a flight there?” Sian asked one afternoon as she rearranged some loose paper on Eunbi’s desk. “I don't think she'll mind, you know.”

“No, I can’t distract her from work,” Eunbi muttered, sighing. She leaned back in her chair and spun around in a daze. Her phone buzzed on her desk from an incoming message, and she rushed to grab it. Her eyes sped through the text; a frown slowly grew on her face. She quickly stood up and picked up her bag, stuffing her phone into her pocket.

“What is it?”

“It’s from Nako. She says I need to go to the bakery right now. It must be an emergency.” Eunbi glanced at Sian, worry evident in her eyes. “Will you be okay here?”

“I will, I will. You should go.” Sian shoo-ed Eunbi out, watching as her boss dashed out of the office. 

Once Eunbi was out of sight, Sian pulled out her phone to call someone. “She’s on her way. Good luck.”

#

Why did her office have to be so far away from the bakery? If Eunbi could control the speed of the damn bus she was on, they’d have arrived at her stop at least ten minutes ago. But no, the bus had to stop at every stop, and then the driver had to wait for passengers to board and alight the bus, and it was just too frustrating for Eunbi. Who knew what kind of emergency Nako had? It must be a really big one, as Nako would usually try to deal with things herself before asking for help. 

Eunbi drummed her fingers on the sides of the pole she was clinging onto, face scrunched up in a grimace as the bus stalled one stop - just one stop! - away from her own.

Screw it! She’ll get off here and run for the bakery. It’ll probably be faster than the cursed bus, she grumbled. Swinging her bag onto her shoulder, Eunbi shouted a ‘thank you’ to the driver before hopping off the bus. 

Eunbi sprinted as fast as her feet could carry her, her hair coming loose from its bun as her shoes slapped against pavement. Casting a side-eye back at the bus she just alighted from, she wryly noted that it was still at the previous bus stop. Go figure.

The bakery was just around the corner of this block now. Using her last burst of energy, she rounded the corner. Her gaze lifted from the pavement to focus on the bakery… and the person standing in front of it.

No freaking way.

This… this had to be a dream. Why else… 

Eunbi’s pace slowed to a halt. She rubbed her eyes and looked up again. No, there was still a woman standing in front of Eunbi, wide eyes focused on the bread in the display window of the bakery. She wore her usual white tee and jeans, and her inky hair flowed past her shoulders.

Eunbi let out a weak, disbelieving chuckle. 

The woman turned her head to smile at Eunbi. The sunset behind her illuminated her profile and made her look like an angel.

“Hey.”

“You’re here,” Eunbi whispered, her words mirroring the night they parted. Taking shaky steps forward, she reached out and touched warm hands, slender fingers. Her lips trembled with emotion. “You’re really here.”

“Yep.” Hyewon grinned down at her, eyes soft with love. “Surprise~”


	20. Twenty.

The sun was beginning to set, illuminating the sky with swathes of pastel pink and mellow orange. In front of the bakery, Eunbi could feel her heart beating against Hyewon’s as they swayed in place, comfortable in each other’s arms. Hyewon was slightly slouched, her face buried in Eunbi’s hair. 

“Hyewon?”

“I missed this,” Hyewon breathed. Her breath tickled Eunbi’s ear and made her shiver. “I missed you.”

“I thought you were going away for six months?” Eunbi wondered.

“Wouldn’t have lasted. I started missing you the minute I boarded the plane. Convinced the company to let me come back early."

“Yeah?” Secretly pleased with Hyewon’s admission, Eunbi gently rubbed Hyewon’s back and smiled. “What did you tell them?”

“That there was this woman I met, and that we worked together and I fell for her charms.” Hyewon’s fingers danced up and down Eunbi’s spine and made the shorter woman squirm in her arms. “That I missed her too much and if they kept me back any longer I’d die of heartbreak.”

Eunbi snorted. “Oh please.”

“And,” Hyewon continued, pulling back to grin at Eunbi, “that the woman I’m in love with is a genius designer who they should collaborate with.” Hyewon leaned down to whisper the name of the brand she was working with into Eunbi’s ear.

Eunbi gasped. “That’s a really famous brand, Hyewon, are you nuts?”

Hyewon shrugged. “I mean, they liked your designs and said they’ll think about it, so…”

Eunbi squealed in excitement. Hyewon winced and let go of Eunbi to cover her ears. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Holy shit, that’s amazing!”

Hyewon crossed her arms and pouted. “I can’t believe you’re more excited about the brand than you are about me coming back. That’s it, I’m rioting.”

“Aw,” Eunbi patted Hyewon’s cheek lovingly. “I guess I missed you too.”

“Nako said you were going crazy missing me though?”

“Nako said-” Eunbi huffed out a breath. “I’m grounding that kid the minute we get home.”

“The minute ‘we’ get home?” Hyewon put her arm around Eunbi’s shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows. “Are ‘we’ living together now?” she asked, teasing.

“Should we?” Eunbi whispered, a smirk spreading across her face. They managed to maintain eye contact for two beats before both women turned beet red and averted their gazes, shy.

Hyewon coughed to break the sudden awkward silence. Her hand moved down to hold Eunbi’s, their fingers finding each other and interlocking. “Maybe after our first date.” She bit her lip nervously and glanced at Eunbi. “Dinner tomorrow at seven? I’ll pick you up from the office.”

Eunbi squeezed Hyewon’s hand. “It’s a date.”

#

So maybe plans weren’t meant to be stuck to all the time. Eunbi was so busy the next day with clients going in and out of the office - she entertained twenty clients today! Twenty! - that she had no time to take any breaks, let alone fuss about the date tonight. Glancing at her phone, she noted that there was still half an hour to go until Hyewon was supposed to arrive, giving her some leeway to get some shut-eye beforehand.

Sian was already about to leave when she heard a gentle tap on the main door to the office. Looking up, she smiled at the sight of Hyewon waving at her from the other side of the glass. Sian pulled open the door, her eyebrows rising at Hyewon’s outfit. She was impressed. Hyewon was dressed in a patterned dress that clung to her curves and heels that accentuated her toned legs. “Wow, you look good.”

“Thanks.” Hyewon glanced over Sian’s shoulder, then raised her eyebrows at Sian. “Where’s Eunbi?”

“The last time I checked, she was taking a nap in her room. We had so many clients today, she’s bound to be exhausted.”

Hyewon nodded, brows furrowed in thought. “I could go wake her up,” Sian offered.

“Nah.” Hyewon’s face cleared, as if she just came up with a great idea. “Stay here for a while more, will you? I’ll go and get some things and be right back.”

Ten minutes and Hyewon came running back with two plastic bags in hand. In the bigger plastic bag were boxes of food, but Sian couldn’t tell what was in the other. “Thanks for waiting,” Hyewon panted, adjusting the bags in her hand. She stumbled slightly, clearly winded from running in heels. “Is she still sleeping?”

Sian nodded. “I’ll get going, then.” She paused at the door, then turned back. Reaching out a hand, she smoothed Hyewon’s hair down and used tissue to wipe the sweat off Hyewon’s face. “There we go. Take care of her for me, won’t you?” Patting Hyewon’s shoulder in encouragement, Sian exited the office, leaving Hyewon alone in the entrance.

Hyewon made her way to Eunbi’s personal office. Peering in, she noted that Eunbi was sleeping in darkness. Hyewon tiptoed in, ensuring she didn’t make too much noise and accidentally wake Eunbi up. She silently set up the food and minimal decor she bought on Eunbi’s desk, then settled herself in a chair and waited for Eunbi to wake up.

It was way past seven, leaning towards eight-thirty at night when Eunbi finally woke up from her nap. Her eyes opened to faint light in the middle of darkness, and she squinted to focus on the light. Two small candles flickered on her desk and filled the air with a light vanilla fragrance. 

Eunbi shifted upright in her seat, surprised.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Hyewon appeared behind the candles. Clad in a simple dress, red lipstick gracing her lips, her beauty was even more luminous in the candlelight. In her hands was a bouquet of red roses. 

“Oh my god, Hyewon.” Glancing at the time, Eunbi was horrified with herself. How could she have slept for so long? “I’m so sorry! Our date…”

“...Starts now,” Hyewon finished, fishing out two takeout boxes. Grinning, she placed one in front of Eunbi. “I got you some pasta for dinner. It’s kind of gotten cold, though, sorry ‘bout that.”

Eunbi gaped at her. Hyewon bought dinner, brought it back to the office, and waited until Eunbi woke up for their date? Judging by her outfit, Eunbi was sure that Hyewon had other plans in mind, and yet. 

Was it even a surprise that she fell even more for Hyewon?

Pushing away the takeout box in front of her, Eunbi stood up and walked over to Hyewon’s side of the table. Hyewon gazed down at her, bemused. Even this dim light Eunbi could make out every detail of Hyewon’s angelic face, from the stars that danced in her eyes to the delicate mole on her nose. She took Hyewon’s hands and placed them on her waist, then slung her own arms around the taller woman’s neck. Tiptoeing, Eunbi raised herself until she was inches away from Hyewon’s face.

“Eunbi…?” 

“I love you, Kang Hyewon.”

The smile on Hyewon’s face was as brilliant as the sun, lighting up the dark room in an instant. Taking in a deep breath, she swooped down without hesitation, eyes fluttering shut, and captured Eunbi’s lips with her own. Sweet from lip gloss, soft and gentle, yet passionate with desire. Without even realising it their bodies began to move with the kiss, fingers tangling themselves in hair, hands finding themselves in the small of backs, pulling each other closer, pressing against the other. 

When they parted for air, their cheeks were flushed, lips swollen. Hyewon chuckled at the dazed look in Eunbi’s eyes. She cupped Eunbi’s cheek in her hand, thumb brushing tenderly across Eunbi’s smooth skin. “I love you too, Kwon Eunbi,” she whispered before leaning in for another kiss.

Romance was a tricky game to play, a delicate dance to follow, a special type of music that ebbs and recedes like waves along the beach. But sometimes, when two like souls meet under the oddest of circumstances, are drawn to each other; when two hearts finally beat as one - then sometimes, everything feels just right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, it's ash here~! thank you, dear reader, for sticking with this story until the end ^^ i hope you liked it!
> 
> but as this story ends, another one will begin soon: part 2 of the 'izone through the seasons' series, and will centre around yenyul, so do stick around for that~
> 
> finally, you can find me on twitter @ashensprites, and if you have any questions about anything, you can also find me on curiouscat @ashensprites too. thank you again for reading!!


	21. Special Chapter 1.1: That One Cute Girl In Class (what is education anyway)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hitomi x nako special chapter part one because let's get real we really needed more of this cute-ass couple

When Nako first chose to take a course in Korean Literature, she went into it knowing it wasn’t going to be fun and games. She expected readings, analyses, and essays. What she didn’t expect was how ridiculously boring lectures would be. As she sat in the middle of the lecture hall, surrounded by a group of students lightly snoring or secretly playing on their phones, Nako found herself halfway through to sleeping, and she had to smack her forehead on the table to wake herself up.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced around the room. Everyone else around her were first-years, with a couple of keen postgraduate students sitting in the front hanging on to every word the lecturer was saying. Nako was trying to focus, she really was, but as her lecturer droned on and on everything just blurred into white noise.

Before she knew it, the lecture was over and her notebook was as blank as before. Well, hell. Hopefully the tutorial would go better. Maybe. 

It didn't. It wasn’t her fault, though, that a cute girl with long blonde hair decided to sit in front of her and instantly disrupted any semblance of logical thought in Nako’s brain. How was she supposed to pay attention when in the presence of a pretty girl with the softest cheeks ever seen? 

Totally impossible.

As the tutor talked about ancient literary masters and the whatnot, Nako leaned forward. She wanted to introduce herself to the cute blonde, get to know her. Just making friends, she told herself; that was a Nako thing. Nothing to do with the fact that Nako found the girl very attractive and thought they’d make a pretty cute couple if she did say so herself, nope.

Now how would she get the attention of a cute girl? It turned out that being petite - _petite_ , not _short_ \- had its perks. Noting that the seat next to the blonde girl was empty, Nako squeezed under the table she was at and popped up on the other side. Maneuvering herself into the empty seat, she grinned when the blonde turned to her, surprise evident on her ridiculously adorable face.

“Hi,” Nako whispered sheepishly. “Sorry for surprising you, it’s just that I couldn’t see what the tutor was writing from back there, so I moved here.”

The blonde girl nodded in understanding. “Fair enough,” she whispered back. “Our tutor does have very small handwriting. Sometimes I still can’t see what he’s writing even from here.”

Nako chuckled, attracting the attention of their tutor. Shrinking in her chair, she waited until he turned back to the whiteboard before speaking up again. “My name’s Nako, by the way.”

“Hitomi.” The blonde girl smiled politely at her before turning back to the tutor. She picked up her pen and started to take notes.

“Hitomi, huh?” Nako murmured, grinning to herself. It was a pretty name, she thought; she liked the way it rolled off her tongue. “Hitomi.”

Over the weeks, she found herself looking forward to seeking out that shock of blonde hair at classes. Tutorials became infinitely more interesting whenever Nako managed to secure what she deemed the most coveted spot in the entire room: a seat next to Hitomi. Screw paying attention to the tutors; Nako would much rather observe the pretty girl sitting next to her. Don’t tell Eunbi, her older sister, that though. She’d murder Nako in an instant.

Of course Hitomi would be writing notes down - of course Nako would be admiring the way Hitomi wrote, each letter neatly printed out in black ink so that her notes were legible and easy to follow.

Of course Hitomi’s gaze would be focused on whoever is speaking in class - of course Nako’s would be trained on the blonde, observing how she’d pout her lips and puff out her cheeks when she didn’t fully comprehend something, or perk up with bunny-like teeth in a grin when she understood something.

She was too cute. Was it legal to be this cute?

“Nako.” Hitomi’s soft voice brought Nako back to the present. “The stuff he’s going through is going to be on the test next week. I know you're smart, but you might still want to pay attention.”

“It’s alright, Hitomi. I’ve got you to help me, right?” Nako sent her a blinding smile, making Hitomi scoff and roll her eyes.

“I can’t believe you.”

“Yes, Honda? Did you want to contribute ideas to today’s discussion?” The tutor called out. Hitomi froze in her seat. Hurriedly shaking her head, she kicked a laughing Nako under the table before burying her face in her hands from embarrassment.

Amused, Nako patted Hitomi’s head gently. “Sorry, sorry.”

“You’re evil,” Hitomi hissed under her breath. “Why do I always agree to studying with you again?”

“Because you love me?” Nako offered, teasing.

Hitomi only huffed and turned back to the tutor.

#

One thing Nako noticed about Hitomi was that the blonde would always sit at the very front of lecture halls, while Nako had a tendency to sit at the back. She wasn’t a bad student, not by far. It was just comfortable, she told herself. And no one would disturb her if she fell asleep… Not that she did.

So when Nako one day found Hitomi dozing off in her seat at the very back of the lecture hall, Nako was perplexed. Honda Hitomi, student extraordinaire, sleeping? In a lecture? It was so out of character. As tempted as Nako was to wake her up, she assumed that Hitomi would have a good reason to be sleeping, and decided to leave her alone. 

Sliding into the seat next to Hitomi, Nako opened her laptop and started to take notes. Once in a while Nako would glance at the sleeping girl, brushing hair away from her face or gently adjusting her head so she wouldn’t slip off the table. Nako could only wonder how exhausted Hitomi was - and what made her so tired in the first place.

Hitomi woke up as the lecture was coming to an end. Her sleepy brain fought to make sense of the words the lecturer was saying; but as soon as she realised what was happening, she jolted up in her seat. Eyes wide, she scrambled to take out her notepad, hoping to write down at least something, no matter how small or insignificant. 

Nako placed a hand on Hitomi’s. Hitomi whipped around in surprise, her blonde hair hitting Nako in the face as she did so.

“Oof!” Nako rubbed her cheek where Hitomi’s hair had slapped her. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Nako! Why didn’t you wake me up?” Hitomi was in a panic. “Oh no, I didn’t get to take down any notes or anything, I’m so dead-”

“I took notes for the both of us,” Nako reassured her. “Just give me your email, I’ll send it to you later.”

“You?” Hitomi’s eyes bugged out of her head. “You took notes? For real?”

“Look, if you’re not going to believe me, I’m not going to share my notes with you.”

Hearing that, Hitomi immediately clung onto Nako’s arm. Hitomi put on her best puppy-eyed stare and pawed at Nako. “Please, please, share the notes with me.”

Nako knew she would get a heart attack just by looking at the amazingly cute expression on Hitomi’s face. And that voice, desperately pleading - how was Nako to say no to that? 

“Yeah, alright,” Nako gave in, shoving her laptop towards Hitomi. One hand covered her blushing face as she averted her gaze. “Just, you know, take a picture of it or something.”

“I owe you one!” Hitomi pulled Nako into a quick hug before taking photos of Nako’s notes.

“Why were you so tired today?” Nako wondered as she waited for Hitomi. “I’ve never once seen you asleep in class.”

“Would you like to know?” Hitomi asked. At Nako’s nod, she glanced at her watch and grabbed Nako’s hand. “Then let’s go.”

The gymnasium was empty save for a small group of cheerleaders stretching to a song Nako was more than familiar with: her favourite girl group, Twice’s ‘Fancy’. Her body automatically reacted to the melody, dancing with small, subtle gestures. Hitomi glanced over at her, mirth written all over her face. She chuckled and ruffled Nako’s hair, finding the petite girl’s moves too adorable for words.

Raising a hand, Hitomi called out to the cheerleaders. “Hey, I’m here!”

One of the cheerleaders, a tall girl with black hair bouncing in a ponytail, grinned and waved back. “Hey, Hii-chan! Who’s that next to you? She’s pretty cute!”

Was there a cute girl next to Hitomi? Nako looked around but found no one else around them. Chuckling, Hitomi slung an arm around Nako’s shoulder. “She’s mine, Nayoung!” she declared, sticking her tongue out.

Nako knew Hitomi was joking, but it still didn’t stop her heart from swelling in her chest. She could feel the tips of her ears burning. She actually had to stop herself from stuttering when introducing herself to Nayoung. Hitomi explained that she was actually on their university’s cheerleading team, and they were preparing for the upcoming interstate competition.

“You should show off, Hii-chan.” Nayoung attempted to coax Hitomi into performing. To Nako, she said: “Hitomi’s, like, our MVP, she’s the best cheerleader we’ve ever had on our team.”

“Really?” Nako’s eyes widened. This time, it was her turn to give Hitomi a beseeching gaze, hands clasped in mock prayer.

“Fine, but only because you gave me your notes today.” Hitomi wagged a finger at Nako before heading towards the lockers to change into a more suitable outfit. When she came back out, Nako gasped. The image of Hitomi in her sports outfit was too much for her to process - Hitomi in the shortest of short shorts, exposing her milky-white legs for everyone to see, and a thin cropped tee that showed off her taut abdominal muscles.

Wow, those abs. Nako had to cover her eyes to stop herself from ogling any further.

“Who would’ve thought that someone with such soft cheeks would also have solid abs, eh?” Nayoung whispered to Nako, nudging her and winking. 

“Yeah, I mean, this is way too much for me,” Nako admitted, fanning herself.

“Is it?” Nayoung leaned down with a sly grin on her face. “Then you should really prepare yourself for when she performs.”

Taking Nayoung’s words to heart, Nako settled herself down in the front row of the bleachers. Watching Hitomi stretch was an art. Her limbs could move in ways Nako was sure normal humans’ couldn’t, and her flexibility was off the charts. What impressed Nako even more was how calm Hitomi appeared to be, completely unfazed by how her limbs were being stretched out like string cheese.

“Nako,” Nayoung called as they finished warming up. “Is there any song you like?”

“I love Twice!” Nako shouted back.

Flashing Nako a thumbs-up, Nayoung scrolled through her playlist. When ‘Yes or Yes’ started playing, Nako squealed and flailed around in her seat. Seeing this, Nayoung and Hitomi flashed each other amused grins. “Ready?” Nayoung shouted. “Five! Six! Seven! Eight!”

Perfection was the only word Nako could think of to describe the performance before her, and still it wasn’t enough to capture the awe she was currently experiencing. Not when Hitomi was doing backflips across the floor, toned legs kicking high before breaking into a split with ease. Nako could feel air leaving her lungs every time Hitomi carried out a dangerous stunt, only breathing again when the blonde landed safely on her feet. Never had Nako felt a rush greater than this (except for the time when she somehow secured a cardboard standee of one Park Jihyo, but we don’t talk about that) and when the cheerleaders completed their routine, Nako surged to her feet, applauding wildly. 

Hitomi’s face was flushed pink, sweat streaming down in rivulets. Her eyes met Nako’s, and they locked gazes. “How was it?” Hitomi asked shyly.

Lost for words, her brain turning into goo at Hitomi’s shy smile, Nako blurted out: “Honda Hitomi, I kind of really want to date you right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> d'you still remember what happened when nako confessed to hitomi lol  
> also nako is me in lectures ngl


	22. Special Episode 1.2: The Story of When Hitomi Rejected Nako (and regretted it afterwards)

Now, before you continue, there are a few things you need to know about one Honda Hitomi.

Hitomi, daughter of a loving family back in the tranquil prefecture of Tochigi, was a studious girl who never said things she didn’t mean. She always took her time to mull over her options before making a decision. Whether it was a result of her upbringing or just her nature, she would grow up to be known for her quiet, calm personality - with the occasional witty savagery that appeared when you’d least expect it.

So when Honda Hitomi, recently blonde university student met an outgoing, friendly girl by the name of Nako, you’d imagine they wouldn’t click at all. Or maybe it made more sense that they did, since introverts made friends by being adopted by extroverts.

Hitomi found Nako, petite in stature but giant in presence, quite an interesting girl. Their time spent together in tutorials involved Hitomi writing down everything and Nako doing nothing except stare at her with a silly grin on her face. And yet, somehow, Nako had done the impossible - impossible to Hitomi, at least - by consistently achieving high marks in weekly quizzes and getting all her assignments done on time despite not paying attention in class at all.

It didn’t really bother Hitomi that much, though. She just needed to work harder, and she’d be able to achieve the same things - that much she was sure of.

But when she fell asleep during a rather crucial lecture, she went into a full-blown panic. Or at least she was five seconds into one before Nako showed off her lectures notes that she took down (for the first time in her university life) just for Hitomi’s sake. So Hitomi was obviously grateful to her, and invited her to her cheerleading practice.

And then Nako confessed. Hitomi was pretty sure it was a confession, but it was so out of the blue and she was just recovering from her performance high, so the words that came out of her mouth went something like this: “Haha are you sure I don’t think we should though?”

A week and fourteen hours later, these words still echoed in Hitomi’s mind. She winced, cursing her crassness. The confession may have been quite unexpected, but surely she could have formulated a better reply. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Nako - no, that’s ridiculous, they’re friends after all - but Hitomi just didn’t see Nako… that way. She never realised that Nako fancied her, but thinking back to all the times Nako’s cheeks would turn a very pretty pink when they were together, it should have been expected.

See, that was the other thing. It should have been expected, except Hitomi was too dense to pick it up. So now she was essentially risking her very good friendship with Nako because of her linguistic inelegance. Picking up her phone, she debated texting the petite girl. But what was she to say? 

“Sorry for rejecting you”? No, that sounded too tactless, she didn’t need to remind Nako about that.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” That just made Hitomi sound like she was playing with Nako’s feelings, which Lord knows she’d never do.

“LOL so what was that about during practice huh?” Okay, she’d would never send something as stupid as that, please.

She typed words, deleted, and retyped. And as she mulled over what would be an appropriate text to send, Hitomi fell asleep.

Waking up the next morning, Hitomi was aghast. In the end, she never sent a text to Nako to clear everything up. To make it worse, her first and only tutorial of the day was Korean Literature, which she shared with Nako. It was probably too late for her to send any sort of decent message to Nako by now. She’d just have to steel herself and face the consequences of her actions today.

When she arrived at her tutorial ten minutes late, she expected a couple of things. One of them was Nako not being willing to look at her, let alone talk to her; the other was her sitting in the back for the first time in her life. Both would be entirely her fault, and she totally understood that.

And yet neither happened, for the second Hitomi pushed the door open Nako, who was sitting near the front, immediately brightened and waved her over. The petite girl’s hand patted the empty chair next to her, encouraging Hitomi to sit next to her.

Wasn’t it awkward, Hitomi wondered, inviting the person who rejected you to sit together? But who was she to argue? Nodding to the tutor in apology, Hitomi quickly took her place next to Nako to avoid disturbing the rest of the class. Taking out her notebook and a pen, she started to take notes down, as per her usual. Every so often she’d take a quick glance at Nako out of the corner of her eye, trying to find the right time to talk to the girl. But Nako was so focused on the tutor today, writing down things and nodding along, that Hitomi wondered whether she had accidentally entered an alternate universe where the tables had turned.

Nako immediately started to pack up after class ended. She slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to head out. Surging up from her seat, Hitomi grabbed Nako’s arm to stop her from leaving. “Nako, wait-!”

Nako turned around, her eyebrows raised. “Yes, Hitomi?”

Her voice was the same as before, tone and body language still as friendly, yet Hitomi felt that something was different, off. “Um,” Hitomi held Nako’s wrist in a loose grip as she stuffed her things into her bag, “can we talk? About that day?”

“What day?” Nako’s gaze flitted away to watch the other students file out of the room. “And what are we talking about?”

“A-about you, and I, and… the confession…”

“Oh, that.” Nako laughed and shook her head. “It’s just that you were too amazing that day, you know, doing backflips and everything, so I thought ‘wow, Hitomi’s really cool, I’d like to date her’. But you said no, so it’s nothing for you to worry about any more.”

“Nako, I-”

“Hey!” A cheerful voice interrupted Hitomi. She looked up to see none other than her cheerleading captain, Nayoung, standing in the doorframe. “Cutie, you ready to go?”

“Nayoung?” Hitomi frowned. “I don’t remember us scheduling practice for today though?”

Chuckling, Nayoung formed a small ‘X’ with her hands. “Not you, Hii-chan. I’m talking to the cute girl you’re holding on to.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t have to pick me up from class, Nayoung,” Nako said, delicately extracting her arm from Hitomi’s grip. “We could’ve met at the cafe.”

Nayoung shrugged. “But I like picking up cute girls from their classes. Cute girls like you.” She flashed Nako a smile and held a hand out, wiggling her fingers, inviting Nako to take her hand.

Nako spared Hitomi a small smile. “See you around, Hitomi.” Skipping towards Nayoung, she took the cheerleader captain’s hand and gave the taller girl a big grin. “Let’s go!”

What in the world just happened? Flabbergasted, Hitomi glanced around at the empty classroom. “What was that all about…?”

#

The answer to her question, Hitomi learnt a few days later from another fellow cheerleader, was that Nayoung and Nako were dating, sort of. In Korea, they used the word ‘some’ to describe it, that thin line that people tiptoed between friends and lovers.

It started _that_ day, actually, when Nako left the gym after being rejected by Hitomi. Hitomi recalled Nayoung running out after her, probably to comfort Nako, talk to her, something or other. Since that day, Nayoung and Nako had become friends. Friends going on friendly dates transitioned into two people interested in each other going out on more romantically-inclined dates. All within a week.

It was too fast for Hitomi, and her brain couldn’t process it. But seeing Nako hanging around now, fingers casually intertwined with Nayoung’s as they chatted with the others, Hitomi couldn’t help but feel like this whole situation was too weird. Maybe it was just her; no one else seemed particularly surprised.

She watched as Nayoung carelessly wrapped her arm around Nako’s waist and tugged her closer. The sight made Hitomi furrow her brows. For no reason in particular, the action irked her. Shrugging it off, Hitomi continued with her practice.

#

This was annoying. Honda Hitomi wasn’t one for expletives, but she’d use it just this time. This was fucking annoying. How many times did she have to see Nako and Nayoung doing stupid couple-y things like holding hands and being giggly around each other every day? Thank goodness they weren’t showing off any PDA; Hitomi would have cursed right there and then. 

Wasn’t it tiring? Weren’t they tired?

The worst part is that Hitomi had no idea why she was so frustrated seeing them being lovey-dovey. For all she knew, it was none of her business. Sure, maybe it was a bit, since Nako was a very good friend and Nayoung was her team captain. But still. She should be happy for them just like everyone else, shouldn’t she? So why was there a twinge in her heart whenever she saw them together?

“Consider this,” the girl sitting next to her in the bleachers suggested one day, “you like one of them, and you’re jealous.”

Hitomi looked over at the teenager next to her. Tall, handsome, with eyes that sparkled and a lollipop in her mouth, basketball player Ahn Yujin had just said words that made no sense. Hitomi scoffed. “No way.”

“Hey, come on, think about it.” Yujin shifted to stare at her with a serious gaze. “Your heart ached when you saw them, right? That only happens when you see someone you like, being cute and lovey-dovey with someone else who’s not you.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“I am!” Yujin grinned unabashedly. “There’s this beautiful girl at this university, Kim Minjoo? You probably won’t know her, but she’s my dream girl. I’ve liked her since ages ago, and every time I see her with someone else my heart hurts like crazy. So trust me, I’m very familiar with that feeling.”

“Yeah?” Hitomi propped her chin up in her hand, deep in thought. “I don’t think that’s particularly applicable to me, though. I’m not romantically interested in anyone.”

“No, think about it,” Yujin insisted. “What exactly makes you annoyed?”

Well, there was the time Nayoung held Nako back before tutorials started just so they could hug each other a little bit longer, and Hitomi couldn’t stand the way Nayoung possessively wrapped her arms around Nako. Then there was that other time when Nako came by to drop off some food for the team during lunchtime practice, and she was feeding Nayoung so sweetly that Hitomi was tempted to butt in and steal the food off Nako’s chopsticks instead. And who could forget that first day when Nako left their class with Nayoung, when it really should have been Hitomi that the petite girl was leaving with instead?

Nako, Nako, Nako.

“So you like her.” Yujin said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You like Nako.”

“No, that’s ridiculous. I just miss having my friend around, that’s all.”

Yujin rolled her eyes and shook her head; if Hitomi was going to be in denial for the rest of her life, then so be it. She stood up and patted Hitomi’s knee encouragingly. “Just think about it,” she repeated for the third time before leaving.

#

Yujin had to be wrong. She had to be, because otherwise Hitomi had no idea what to do with the storm brewing inside her when she saw Nako and Nayoung together. Before practice they’d be together, giggling between themselves, and after practice Nako would be there with a bottle of cold water for Nayoung and a pretty pink blush on her cheeks.

It was so annoying!

“What’s annoying, Hitomi?” A curious voice asked. Someone patted her arm gently. Blinking, Hitomi found Nako staring at her with concern written all over her pretty face. Nako was so pretty with her light-brown hair left down like threads of caramel and eyes filled with warmth and dimple creasing her cheek; how was Hitomi was only noticing this now?

“You like Nako.” Yujin’s words echoed in Hitomi’s mind. Hitomi stared and stared at the shorter girl, her mind spinning out of control. 

Unsettled by the unwavering gaze, Nako stepped back. “Hitomi, you’re being weird.”

“Hm?” An arm slung itself around Nako’s shoulder, and Nayoung came into view. “Hii-chan, you alright?”

Oh, how Hitomi cursed that arm around Nako right now. She wanted to flip it off, rip it away, throw it into oblivion so it couldn’t touch Nako any more.

“Nayoung, I think we should maybe walk Hitomi home today? She doesn’t seem particularly well,” Nako murmured.

Nayoung nodded. “Good idea. I can’t go with you today, though, mum’s making me go to this wedding dinner thing. I was going to ask you to be my plus one, but…” Nayoung glanced at Hitomi warily before looking back at Nako.

_But? But what?_ , was Hitomi wanted to ask. Her mouth wasn’t cooperating with her, however, and all she could do was huff and puff like an overexerted old man.

“Aw,” Nako patted Nayoung’s cheek lovingly. “Maybe next time, if… you know?”

_If what?_ , Hitomi yelled inside her mind, and she continued to scream internally when Nako tiptoed to place a quick kiss on Nayoung’s cheek.

That was it. Hitomi was _done_. Grabbing Nako’s hand, she stormed towards the lockers, separating the two girls. “Hitomi, what’s going on?” Nako allowed herself to be dragged away while waving goodbye to Nayoung. Hitomi didn’t answer her question, only spinning Nako around to push her up against the lockers. Hitomi slammed a hand on either side of Nako, trapping her.

Nako peeked up at her. “Hitomi…?”

Her vision was filled with red, and Nako was in the centre of it, in the eye of the hurricane. Everything came down to this small girl trapped between Hitomi and the lockers, gazing at her with not a single hint of fear. That just made the storm in Hitomi’s chest grow into a typhoon, one that coursed through her veins and filled her with the desire to do the most reckless thing she could think of in this extremely senseless situation. Pressing Nako against the lockers, Hitomi leaned down and crashed her lips against Nako’s… 

“Hitomi?”

Hitomi gasped. A hand was patting her cheek gently, waking her up from what could only be the craziest dream the blonde girl ever had. The girl of her dreams - quite literally now - was frowning at her, though out of worry more than anything else. “N-Nako?”

“Hitomi, we’ve arrived at your place.” Looking around, Hitomi realised that yes, they had in fact somehow made their way to her house without her even realising it. Nako went on the tips of her toes to press her forehead against Hitomi’s. “You’re not having a fever, are you?”

Nako may not have been aware of their proximity, but that was alright; Hitomi’s internal gay panic more than made up for it. Her eyes widened at how close Nako’s face was to hers, how Nako could probably feel her face growing hotter and hotter as a blush worked its way across her cheeks, how their lips were just inches apart. If she really wanted to, Hitomi could easily just brush her lips against Nako’s, for that was how close they really were.

But Honda Hitomi wasn’t someone like that. She wouldn’t give in to her wildest fantasies and just _do_ things without thinking. No, Hitomi was a sensible, patient person who considered her options, and considered them well, before acting. So when they parted in front of her door, Hitomi took a deep breath and declared, rather loudly: “Nako, I like you. Romantically, that is. And I know you’re with Nayoung now, sort of, but I still think it’s important that you know I like you. So if it’s not too late, I’d like to win you back, if that’s fine with you.”

Nako gaped at her for a good few moments before her lips curled into a grin. “I’ll be looking forward to it then, Honda Hitomi.”


	23. Special Chapter 1.3: How To Win Your Girl Back (a guide by Honda Hitomi)

**Step One: Pay attention to her likes and dislikes.**

There were a few things Hitomi knew already, from when they hung out as just friends. For example, Nako liked ice-cream, but hated olives. Hitomi remembered this because of how Nako would always steal her ice-cream when they went out to discover new dessert parlours, and if any pizza or salad they ordered had olives in it, Hitomi would eat them in Nako’s stead. Hitomi used to not mind eating olives - they were healthy and she quite liked them - but after eating what must be her hundredth olive this week, Hitomi decided she truly hated olives.

Hitomi soon discovered an interesting fact about Nako’s palate: she loved mint chocolate ice-cream (much to Hitomi’s chagrin) but had a strong distaste for either of the flavours separately, or when they were in a form that is not ice-cream. Hitomi figured this out when she bought Nako some mint chocolate macarons as a gift. Nako had taken one bite and pulled a face that Hitomi hoped she’d never see ever again. 

That day, Hitomi was left with a full box of macarons of a flavour she didn’t even like while Nako went off gallivanting with Nayoung. Sighing, Hitomi munched into a macaron. Romance sure was hard.

**Step Two: Help her when she needs help, but without being overbearing.**

If there was one thing that Nako absolutely needed help with, it was to pick out a book from the upper shelves of the library. And if there was one thing that Nako insisted she didn’t need help with, it was taking out that damn book on the top shelf that they needed for this week’s reading.

Leaning on the adjacent shelf, Hitomi raised her eyebrows as Nako futilely attempted to pull out the thick leather-bound book. Hitomi would have offered to help, but whenever she did that Nako would smack her hands away and hiss at her. So now all she could do was warily watch as Nako went on the tips of her toes, balancing dangerously on the small stepladder their university library had so graciously offered, reaching for the book. The more Nako struggled to reach for the book, the more the ladder swayed under her weight.

Just as Nako’s fingers brushed the spine of the book, the ladder finally gave way under her. She went down, toppling over into Hitomi’s already outstretched arms. Huffing in disbelief, Nako glanced up at Hitomi’s amused face. “Thanks, Hitomi.”

“Next time, just ask for help, won’t you?”

“I thought I could-” Nako broke off when she noticed that not only had Hitomi caught her mid-fall, but had also blocked the toppled ladder with her forearm. An ugly blue-black colour was already beginning to spread across Hitomi’s arm. Nako gasped. “Hitomi! Your arm!”

“It’s nothing.” Hitomi attempted to shrug it off, but winced when the ladder shifted on her arm.

“It’s not nothing, you idiot!” Nako shouted. She shoved the ladder off Hitomi with all her strength. Grabbing Hitomi’s hand, she pulled the blonde out of the library and headed straight for the nurse’s office. The book was left forgotten in the library, and continued to stay that way for the rest of the year.

**Step Three: Act like you’re not bothered with her hanging out with your rival.**

Hitomi was fine. Yes, totally fine. Nothing to see here, nothing at all, unless you counted the fact that your love interest was hanging out with your captain-slash-love-rival right in front of your eyes!

No, calm down, Hitomi. You’re an adult with control over your feelings and actions. Just because they’re hanging out together doesn’t mean that they’re dating. Nako’s already said that they weren’t dating so everything’s fine. No need to be so jealous.

Why was Nako laughing? Did Nayoung say something funny? Or was Nako flirting?

No way, Nako wasn’t flirting with her. Well, fine. She might have been. That’s none of your business though, Honda Hitomi, Nako’s not answerable to anyone except herself. She’s certainly not attached to you (yet) so you really shouldn’t be this bothered. 

Oh gods, Nako’s looking over this way. Smile and wave, Hitomi, smile and wave. Her smile really was so beautiful, wasn’t it, with a dimple as deep as a canyon carving itself into her cheek. And those eyes… Hitomi could drown in them.

Ah, she’s looked away again.

Hitomi placed a hand over her heart, feeling it race beneath her palm. If that was what just one look could do to Hitomi, what more a hug or (Hitomi wishes) a kiss? She couldn’t wait to find out.

**Step Four: Surprise her with nice things.**

Near Hitomi’s home there was this quaint little cafe that housed a large variety of second-hand books and a well-curated collection of vinyls. While Hitomi was a regular enough visitor, she usually didn’t have the time to slowly go through all the merchandise available. Today, however, she was celebrating the end of an assignment, and decided to take her time at the cafe. She scoured through boxes stacked upon each other, through shelves that lined the walls, searching for nothing in particular. And then, out of the corner of her eye, Hitomi spotted something haphazardly tucked into a wooden box.

It had to be fate. There was no other explanation for it. She immediately pounced on it, ready to fork over an absurd amount of money for the book she held in her hand. 

It didn’t even cost that much, Hitomi later mused as she left the cafe. Whoever decided to give away the book was either a very rich person or an absolute idiot. Probably both. Armed with a latte in one hand and a book in the other, she marched straight to cheerleading practice. 

As usual, Nako was sitting with Nayoung in the bleachers, chatting about things Hitomi didn’t particularly care about. Skipping through the gym doors, Hitomi made her way to the couple. Nako spotted her first and raised a hand in greeting. (Hitomi considered it a win for herself when Nako left Nayoung sitting alone to run towards her instead.)

“What’s that?” Nako pointed to the small paper bag in Hitomi’s hand.

Hitomi pressed the bag into Nako’s hand. “I saw it and thought of you.”

Nako raised her eyebrows and peered into the bag. The gasp of pure delight she emitted had Hitomi grinning like a fool. Nako reached in and, with all the gentleness and grace of the world, pulled out a signed copy of Twice’s Fancy photobook. Hitomi wanted to laugh at the way Nako’s eyes shone with glee as she quickly flipped through the book, savouring and drooling over every photo.

“Hitomi-”

Brushing at Nako’s hand with her fingers, Hitomi chuckled. “You know, just Hii-chan is fine.”

“Hii-chan…” Nako gazed up at her with stars in her eyes. She pulled Hitomi down by the collar of her shirt and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “I love you,” Nako whispered into Hitomi’s ear.

“Wait… what?” Hitomi’s eyes boggled, one hand pressed to her cheek where Nako had kissed her. “Wait, did you really mean that?”

Skipping away with her newly acquired treasure, Nako sent Hitomi a finger heart and winked. “What do you think?”

**Step Five: Spend time with her, but give her space when she needs it.**

Hitomi glanced over to across the table where Nako was glaring at a blank piece of paper before her. Judging by the way steam was almost coming out of Nako’s ears, Hitomi wouldn’t be surprised if the paper suddenly burst into flames under the petite girl’s stare. Sighing, Hitomi shook her head and returned to attacking her own essay.

This really wasn’t what Hitomi meant by spending time together, but as university students with constant deadlines, it was good enough for now. 

Hearing a soft snore next to her, Hitomi turned to see Nayoung asleep at her laptop. Drool was leaking from the corner of her mouth as an open Word document - also blank, Hitomi noted with amusement, save for the title - faded to black. “She must be drained,” Hitomi murmured. It wasn’t easy being cheerleading captain, and with the addition of all of Nayoung’s other co-curricular activities plus her double degree, the poor girl was sure to be exhausted. Hitomi quietly rearranged Nayoung’s belongings to form a sturdy wall, protecting her from prying eyes of other library patrons.

After doing so, Hitomi picked up her pen, ready to attack her assignment once and for all.

No more than half an hour later, she heard what distinctly sounded like a whistling kettle. Hitomi looked up to see Nako breaking a pencil in half. Hitomi flinched. “Uh, Nako…?”

Nako raised her gaze from her (still!) blank paper to stare at Hitomi. “Yes, Hii-chan?” Her voice was dangerously quiet, lined with an edge as sharp as a knife. 

“Nothing, nothing.” Hitomi raised her hands in defence and backed away. “Uh, good luck with the assignment.” She offered Nako an encouraging smile, pumping her fist in the air, and prayed to all the gods that Nako wouldn’t bite her hand off.

To Hitomi’s relief, Nako’s features relaxed as she nodded. “Thanks, Hii-chan. You’re the best, I love you.”

Later that night, Hitomi lay on her bed, staring at her ceiling. “I love you,” she repeated and giggled to herself. “I love you.”

**Step Six: Be there for her.**

She found Nako hiding away in a small alcove in the library. It was a corner that they had discovered recently. They would go there to study or to watch dramas undisturbed, because no one else had ever bothered to walk to the very back of the archives. It was their perfect hiding spot - which was Hitomi wasn’t surprised when she found Nako huddled up there. 

What did surprise her were the tears rolling down Nako’s cheeks. “Are you alright?” Hitomi asked, worried. She crouched down and took Nako’s face in her hands, wiping tears away with her thumbs. “What’s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”

Nako shook her head, leaning into the warmth that was Hitomi. The blonde girl cautiously sat down next to Nako and pulled her into her lap. Nako pressed her tear-streaked face into Hitomi’s shoulder, clutching Hitomi’s shirt in her small fists.

Hitomi didn’t know what caused the crying. It could have been burnout, it could have been stress, it could have been something else in Nako’s life that she wasn’t privy to. But if Nako didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine too. Hitomi would just do what she could: hold the love of her life in her arms and wish for the sadness to pass.

Wrapping her arms around Nako, Hitomi patted Nako’s head, gently, soothingly until the petite girl’s sobs subsided. They stayed there for a little while, two girls seeking comfort in a little room hidden from the world.

**Step Seven: Ask her to be your girlfriend when you think the time is right.**

Was there ever really a right time to ask someone to be your girlfriend? Hitomi didn’t think so. She had already tried it twice to no success.

The first time was when she was walking Nako home after a particularly grueling test. Nako was grumbling about history forgotten and context clues forgone. Hitomi had just wanted to cheer her up, and in her exhausted mind had thought that popping the question would be a great pick-me-up. Looking back, Hitomi realised it might have been a good thing that Nako had ranted the whole way; it would’ve been some pretty shit timing on Hitomi’s part otherwise.

The second was on Valentine’s day. Cheesy, yes, and so very cliche, but Hitomi was so sure of her plan. She was to buy Nako a pint of that cursed mint chocolate ice cream that for some reason the petite girl liked, some flowers, and a couple ring that had caught her eye the week before. She’d bring Nako out for some really great dinner and a walk near the Han river after, then… Then! 

Alas, her plan didn’t come to fruition. Nako had texted her with an apology, explaining that her older sister wanted to hang out with her on Valentine’s day, as was their tradition every year. Sighing, Hitomi had called her to tell her it was okay. Tucking the ring into her pocket, she had decided to raid her friend Hyewon’s house instead, and stole all the cheese snacks in sight before retiring home for the night.

Third time’s the charm, though; that’s what Hitomi told herself. Third time’s the charm.

Hitomi and Nako were watching a Korean drama in the library alcove they had claimed as theirs. Nako had Hitomi’s jacket draped over her shoulders as she curled up against the blonde girl. Munching on snacks they had snuck in, the two girls were fixated on the scene unfolding on the screen. Just as the characters were leaning in for a kiss, the video crashed.

“Hii-chan!” Nako grumbled. “Your computer sucks!”

“It’s not the laptop’s fault, it’s the wi-fi, I’m telling you.” Hitomi pulled her laptop towards her to refresh the page.

As Nako waited for Hitomi, she chewed thoughtfully on a Pepero stick. “Yesterday Nayoung asked me to be her girlfriend,” she piped up, sticking her hand in the pocket of Hitomi’s jacket.

Hitomi froze. Inch by inch she raised her gaze to stare at Nako. “Y-yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you say?”

“I said-” Nako broke off as her fingers met a hard object in Hitomi’s jacket pocket. Curling her fingers around it, she pulled out a small black box bound with a ribbon. “What’s this?”

Hitomi’s eyes widened. She had totally forgotten to take the ring box out of her pocket, and now it was in Nako’s hands. Panicking, she lunged for the box, toppling Nako over.

“Hii-chan!” Nako huffed. “What’s up?”

When Hitomi realised the position they were in, her face flushed red. She was straddling Nako, hands at Nako’s sides, pinning the confused girl down. Nako was frowning up at her, somehow completely unaffected with being under Hitomi. “I-”

“No, seriously, what’s in the box?” Before Hitomi could react, Nako opened the box. Her features transformed from bemusement to amusement, and she pulled out a small ring, a simple band of silver. “Hii-chan, why do you have a ring?”

“Because I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend!” Hitomi blustered as she averted her gaze. “But you said Nayoung had already asked, so…”

“So?” Nako laughed. She put the box aside, grinning at Hitomi. “You weren’t going to ask any more? Even though I turned her down?”

Hitomi couldn’t believe her ears. “You turned her down? But why?”

Nako rolled her eyes. “Do I really have to spell _everything_ out for you, you idiot?” Her hands glided up to find purchase on the back of Hitomi’s head, fingers tangling into golden hair, and pulled Hitomi down into a kiss.

**Step Eight: ???**

It was happening. It was actually happening.

She tasted like strawberries, sweet with ripeness, lips plump and juicy, lips that made you want to nibble and suck on it. Her hands were cold, cold from the air-conditioning despite the jacket she wore, fingers leaving trails of ice on skin. In the brief moment they parted she let out a quiet gasp, a breath caught mid-air as they dove in for another kiss.

It must have only been minutes, but to Hitomi it felt like a millennium, an eternity where Nako would always fit in her hands, and yet also a second, too short a time spent before they had to separate because they still needed oxygen to survive.

Breaking away, Hitomi gazed down at Nako. Her hair the colour of straw was strewn messily on the floor, a dazed look dancing in her eyes. She was breathtaking.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

Nako toyed with the ring in her hand before slipping it onto her finger with a soft smile. 

“Yes, Honda Hitomi. I will be your girlfriend.”


	24. Special Chapter 2: Couple Bags

If Hyewon was being very, very honest right now, she felt extremely embarrassed carrying a fluffy dinosaur bag on her back. And no, the bag was definitely not her idea. Hyewon was weird, yes, but fluffy kid-sized backpacks so obviously bought from the theme park were not her type of thing. In fact, she'd rather starve for a whole day than walk around looking like a right idiot. So why was she carrying this cursed green dinosaur on her back?

"Hyewon!" Ah, there it was, the reason for Hyewon's very unordinary behaviour. Pointing excitedly at mechanised spinning cups, donning the exact same silly dinosaur bag, was the love of her life: Kwon Eunbi, genius designer, chef extraordinaire, fake-mom to small penguin child, and... a sucker for couple items and park rides, it seemed.

"You want to ride that one?" The tone of voice that naturally came out of Hyewon's mouth was the same one she usually reserved for adorable children, but Eunbi didn't seem to mind. Then again, Eunbi in her pretty summer dress and twintails was the epitome of adorable, and she _was_ acting like a kid right now.

Eunbi nodded, grinning. Skipping over, she tugged at Hyewon's finger and gazed up at her with hopeful eyes. "Please?" 

Hyewon felt a twinge in her heart, and had to cover her lovesick smile with a hand. "Alright, alright, let's go." Eunbi squealed and tiptoed to peck Hyewon's cheek. Grabbing Hyewon's hand, Eunbi dragged her towards the oversized cups. As Eunbi started to spin the wheel on their own cup, Hyewon steeled herself for the impending nausea that was sure to follow.

It was actually quite impressive that Hyewon didn't immediately throw up when their cup started twirling madly. Yes, her face did turn a sickly shade of green, but she didn't throw up, and that was the most important part. Staggering out onto stable ground, Hyewon bent over, hands on knees. She closed her eyes, hoping it would stop the world from spinning as she took deep breaths.

"Wow, you're so pathetic," a dry voice commented. Forcing an eye open, Hyewon looked up to see a blonde girl gazing down at her with a raised brow.

"I know, Hii-chan, shut up." Hyewon glanced around, searching for Hitomi's partner-in-crime. "Where's Nako? Don't let Eunbi catch you without her, or else you're dead."

"Crap, you're right. She went to the washroom though, should be fine-"

"Oh, Hii-chan!" Eunbi smiled at her as she walked back. She rested an arm on Hyewon's back, completely ignorant of the poor woman still in the midst of a dizzy spell. "Where's Nako?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Nako jogged up to the trio and wrapped Hitomi in a side hug. She goggled at Hyewon, all queasy and unsteady on her feet. "Wow, what happened? Are you okay?"

Confused, Eunbi crouched down to stare at Hyewon. "What's wrong, babe?"

Hyewon shook her head. She stood back upright, pretending her world was perfectly right and not at all swimming in her vision. "Haha, nothing, I'm fine! What's next, babe?" She followed her girlfriend's pointed finger to the largest ride there was in the theme park: a menacing rollercoaster, full of twists and turns and ninety-degree drops - and she felt her own heart drop.

" _Oh_."

Hitomi patted her on the back encouragingly. "Good luck. You'll need it."

#

Standing in line for what was most probably her ride to hell, Hyewon started to think back to all the churros and hot dogs she had scarfed down at lunchtime. Regret bubbled in her stomach; annoyance flared in her gut. How dare Hitomi and Nako, the younger, clearly more youthful couple who should be enjoying rides like these, go off gallivanting on a theme park stamp hunt? How dare they leave her alone with Eunbi - which she really shouldn't be complaining about, being alone with her girlfriend, but she was powerless against this stunningly beautiful woman and couldn't say no to any of her requests, no matter how ridiculous they were. Weren't the silly matching bags enough?

Hyewon was pretty sure she saw Hitomi and Nako snickering at the bags before they left, and swore to hunt them down later.

While she grumbled and ruminated, she felt arms loop around her waist and a weight press against her chest. Bowing her head, she buried her nose in dark brown locks, breathing in Eunbi's scent. She smelled like home, like warmth and comfort. Hyewon wrapped her arms around Eunbi and peppered kisses on the crown of her head. "What's up?" Hyewon whispered.

"Hm, nothing. I just wanted to do this." Hyewon could feel Eunbi sinking deeper into her embrace, melting into her. They swayed in place, protecting each other from the occasional chilly autumn breeze. She wondered whether they could stay like this forever, just two women quietly in love.

"Next in line, please!" Eunbi immediately jolted up at the announcement. Beaming, she rushed towards the rollercoaster carriage, and Hyewon had no choice but to follow. Settling themselves down in their seats, Hyewon started to silently pray to all the gods out there when the security bar lowered itself down in front of them. 

"Don't look so worried, Hyewon!" Eunbi squeezed Hyewon's hand, still grinning like a madman. "It'll be fun, I promise!"

"Fun." Hyewon stared out at the looping track in front of her, her heart sinking. "Right. Fun."

#

"Not fun." Hyewon's legs trembled as Eunbi held her arm for support. Hyewon's face was drained of all colour, making her look like a vampire. Vampires probably don't get motion sickness, she mused. It wouldn't hurt to be one right now. Taking a shaky step forward, Hyewon slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. "Not fun."

Face scrunched up with worry, Eunbi guided Hyewon to a bench. "Here, drink some water," Eunbi offered, drawing out a water bottle from her dinosaur backpack. She gave Hyewon's back soothing pats, stroking, comforting. "You should have told me you can't sit rollercoasters, babe."

"Yeah, but you looked so excited. You know I can't say no to you."

Hearing a sigh from the woman sitting next to her, Hyewon turned to give Eunbi a weak smile. Eunbi leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "But next time," Eunbi warned, wagging a stern finger at Hyewon, "don't do stupid things like that again. Tell me if you're having problems, okay?" Hyewon nodded and stuck out her pinky finger. Huffing, Eunbi reluctantly wrapped her own little finger around Hyewon's.

"Idiot."

Hyewon chuckled. "I love you too."

#

Hyewon wasn't one for cliches and cheesy scenes, but she would gladly make an exception this time. How could she not, when the woman she loved with all her heart was sitting before her in a small ferris wheel gondola? Hyewon gazed at Eunbi, eyes soft with love, while the latter was gasping in wonder at the view of the park from their gondola. Eunbi had let her hair down so it fell in waves, brushing past the shoulders of her dress. As the orange glow of the sky washed over them, Hyewon was struck by Eunbi's profile, how the shadows angled themselves in all the right places and directions to create what could only be described as pure art.

Gods, she was beautiful, beautiful and brilliant in so many ways, and every day Hyewon just found more and more ways to fall in love with her. Hyewon fell in love with her laugh, with her goofy grin, with the way she would tuck her hair behind her ear, with how she would unhesitatingly offer help to anyone and everyone, with how she would stand on stage and lead others. Eunbi was dazzling in a dress, spellbinding in a suit, breathtaking in sweatpants, soft in an oversized sweater. Eunbi was Eunbi, the only one of her kind, the only one Hyewon needed, the only one Hyewon wanted.

"Hyewon, you're crying." Eunbi sounded alarmed as she wiped away Hyewon's tears as they flowed down freely. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Hyewon sniffled and laughed a watery laugh. She brushed Eunbi's hair back, fingers brushing her cheek. "I'm in love with you, Eunbi, I really am so in love with you."

Eunbi cupped Hyewon's face in her hands, her thumbs caressing tear-stained cheeks."I am too, Hyewon. I'm in love with you too." Leaning in, they pressed their lips together in a tender kiss, a slow dance at sunset. Teeth grazed at bottom lips, nibbling; bodies pressed against each other, eliciting quiet gasps as they deepened the kiss.

When they parted, lips swollen, breathless, Hyewon placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's forehead. "Happy birthday, Kwon Eunbi."


End file.
